The History of WingFang
by TheLightBender
Summary: This story is about various stories about past winged gaurdians read lust of death to better understand story . no avatar characters ... well yah they're in here but only for a bit. i swear i don't own anything!
1. Story Time

Story Time

**Story Time**

He laid on the branch he perched himself for many years. There was no sun but light still shone through the ever lasting sky. There was no wind yet his fur blew in the air. he breath out and tasted the air. Nothing. This was a fake world that he a millions of others lived in. he missed the times he spent in the real world. The Spirit world was a cheap replication of it. Water covered most of the ground and eerie looking trees hid the sky. He scrunched his nose at his thoughts. He heard something move and he twitched his ears. Nobody came near here anymore. More noises filled the emptiness. He rose sinking his claws in the branch and stretched his entire body. He shifted his head looking for someone. He twitched his ears about hearing something. He sniffed smelling out the intruders scent. He shook the suspicion off, and rested himself back on the branch.

"Wing-Fang get up," a strong echoing voice commanded him. His ears twitched at the familiar sound and rose once more. He looked down at his fellow wolf. It was Midnight. Though the moon spirit was much larger and more rugged compared to the protector of the Avatar he had no authority over Wing-Fang, but out of courtesy to a friend he greeted him.

"Good Morrow cousin, what news does thou bring to me?" he asked in his ancient voice that could still over power any noise know to his ears. The black face of his friend twitched and titled to the side. Midnight was confused. He stood up and started to climb up the branch. His claws which scraped the bark made scattered noise as he pulled himself up. He sat beside Wing-Fang. They nodded to each other.

"Must you talk in such an old speech," Asked Midnight. Wing-Fang knew that Midnight was not as old to remember the time when the world spoke an ancient language that now only a few Winged Guardian groups spoke with. Wing-Fang titled his head asking a question in silence. "We are here to hear your stories," Midnight said respectfully.

"Stories of my past or the past of my followers? And whom do we speak of when thy told me of others?" Wing-Fang asked confused. The large wolf nodded his head in the direction of the ground below them both. Wing-Fang turned and looked. Hundreds of creatures stood under the shade of his tree. The sea of creatures started to chatter among themselves. The voices rang through Wing-Fang's head. He unfolded his bat like wings and howled as loud as he could. His throat vibrated with noise and fell out his mouth. It fell silent and he stopped his howls and looked at them. He could smell fear in many of them. They were of those he had never meat, the ones that he been acquaintances with sat there silently. Some feared out of respect others trembled out of the stories they have heard of his past. Were his stories so miscoded and misunderstood that people feared him for his actions? He laid his wings against his back again and looked at the audience calmly.

He looked up to the sky as he heard the sound of the air sifting around. A golden bore with angelic wings floated down beside him. He grunted and turned his head back to the audience. The audience bowed to the greatest personnel of authority. Bei-Fong ruled and organized the ways of the Winged Guardians with a compassionate sense of pride. She nudged Wing-Fang and pushed him over slightly. He stumbled back and looked ant her with enraged eyes.

"Well some one has a short temper. No wonder so many fear you, wolfy. Now please, we all hear to hear stories of your followers past. Maybe than they will learn to respect you with out fear," Bei-Fong said with a soft voice. He looked over to Midnight who shrugged his bold shoulders and climbed down the tree. _This was her idea, I just know it. _Wing-Fang told himself. He lunged off the branch landing in the mucky swamp water below. It slashed a few small creatures that just happened to be in the front row. The first creature he made eye contact with was a small red bird with black designs running around its body.

"Now tell me young one, what story would you like to hear?" Wing-Fang asked as he tilted his head closer to the birds face. It was quivering with fear. He noticed it stumbled back a bit with every word that boomed out of the wolf's throat.

"Um… heh… the story of…um… Zatch…?" the bird trembled out in a high pitched voice. Wing-Fang started to laugh. The bird jumped up and flew back several rows. With one pounce Wing-Fang landed back on his branch and turned back to the creatures. They all looked up at him with optimistic stares. He looked over at Bei-Fong who nodded.

"Very well, so thou hast spoken the name of my follower, I shall speak of his past. Listen to the story of a great nobleman called Zatch," Wing-Fang said. The crowd started to cheer, howl or roar. Wing-Fang joined them before he spoke of the past.


	2. The Mask Part 2

The Mask (Part 2)

**The Mask (Part 2)**

Her eyes shifted around, scanning her surroundings. Nobody's gaze met hers. It was like she wasn't even there. She had found an interesting mask that was Fire Nation oriented and she just needed to have it. She knew her brother would love to have it. She didn't have enough money to purchase the mask, so she did what she always did, she stole the mask. Has she went to place it in her back pack that was conveniently slung over her shoulder and pressing against her side. It was about to slip into the bag when someone's hand grabbed the mask and her wrist.

"Hey what the fuck do you think you're doing!?" she yelled. She turned around to see who had taken her almost stolen mask. A tall boy stood in front of her. He was unfamiliar; she knew every face in that small village except for his. He was examining the mask and looked at her. She pulled her hand away from him. He smiled and handed the mask back to her.

"You have pretty good taste in masks," he commented. She looked at him confused. Why didn't he scold her for stealing? She caught a glimpse of his yellow eyes. She realized why he didn't look familiar. He was from the Fire Nation. He extended his hand out to her. "The names Zatch," he said contently.

"I have a boyfriend," she replied. He pulled his hand back and looked at her confused. She really wanted to leave but she didn't. She wanted to see what the stranger would say or do next.

"Um…congratulations?" he added confused. She giggled a bit and extended her hand. She usually wouldn't do that with strangers, especially a stranger from the Fire Nation, but some how Zatch was different.

"I'm Lean, it's nice to meet you Zatch," she replied growing a smile on her face. He started to chuckle in a low tone.

"So Lean, mean, fighting machine, where do you live?" he asked. She hated small talk. Lean would usually stay quiet unless it was a deep conversation that she was interested in. she shrugged and walked away. Zatch walked briskly to catch up with her. Now they were walking side by side. "I'm from the Fire Nation capital, born and raised there actually. Are you from around here?" he asked still making conversation. Lean nodded and kept on walking. "You know even the most deep and complex conversations start with the simplest of word," he explained to her. Lean stopped and looked at Zatch. It was as if he read her mind.

"okay lived here my whole life, is there anything else you would like to ask me before I leave?" she asked slightly irritated. He nodded with a smile painted on his face. She rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Um…" he started to think.

"You mean you don't know!?" she exclaimed incredibly irritated with Zatch. He jumped back by the sound of her voice. He stood back up with a compassionate smile.

"Well there's just so much I can ask in so little time. I just want to ask the right questions," he explained to her. He stood there in thought for a moment. He snapped his fingers. "What's the most beautiful sight near this town?"

"Watching a loved one step onto the harbor after a long adventure," she said not paying too much attention to what she was saying. She pictured herself waiting on the docks in hope to see her father come back on his ship and running up to him and embracing him, when she was a little girl. Now she hid her emotions and built a shell to protect herself.

"Yah, that is nice," Zatch agreed. Lean turned to him.

"What?" she asked. Zatch's face turned and went into a frightened mask.

"Nothing," he replied nervously.

--

"Now way!" she exclaimed and pushed him down from where Zatch was sitting. He rolled on the grass and got back up. The water flowed down the creek making perpetual noise so the scenery would never be silent. He sat down beside her, looking at the little stream. Lean was sitting cross-legged while Zatch extended his legs. The sun was setting, it made the mood awkwardly romantic but the two kept talking.

"I'm serious I graduated school when I was twelve, I mastered firebending when I was thirteen and became a captain when I was fourteen," he said again to try and convince her that he was telling the truth.

"Wow, the Fire Nation must have been desperate," She laughed. Zatch started to laugh with her. Lean looked at Zatch's face. His black hair shone from the sun. She finally noticed a white streak that ran all the way through his hair. "What's that?" she asked pointing to his hair.

"Oh…um…nothing…it's just genetic," he explained. Lean looked at him confused.

"Odd," she said and tossed grass into his face. He whipped it off and threw some at her. She ripped the grass from the ground and stuffed it down his shirt. He jumped up and was now standing.

"What the fuck!... oh, it's on," he said. He bent down and ripped up as much grass as he possibly could. Lean got up and started to back away.

"Don't you dare!" she ordered him but it was too late, he was already chasing after her. She ran away and weaved through some trees near them. Zatch followed picking up speed with every second. She turned herself by grabbing onto a tree and started to run in the opposite direction. Zatch made a sharp turn almost falling down. He bolted for her with the grass still in his hands. He caught up and wrapped his hands around Lean's waist and pulled her into him. She tried to fight back and get out of his grip but he was too strong. He pushed the grass down the back of her shirt and let go. She started to run around in circles patting her back and pull grass out. "Fuck that shit is cold!" she exclaimed. Zatch started to laugh.

"Lean!" some one yelled from the top of the hill they had been sitting on for hours. They looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

"Well, I got to go…that was my mom…so…I'll see ya tomorrow?" Zatch nodded and ran up the hill. Before she was out of view she waved to him. He waved back but a soon as he did her other grabbed her and pulled her away.

"Everybody hates the Fire Nation boy," Zatch said to himself.


	3. The Dragon

Two weeks later…

Two weeks later…

**The Dragon**

"Pinned ya," Lean exclaimed as Zatch was forced to the ground. He didn't know what was going on but found Lean on top of him. Her hands were tightly wrapped around his wrist as they pushed into the ground. She sat on top of his stomach and her upper torso was pushing itself down to keep weight on Zatch's body. He was out of breath but it wasn't because of the impact, it was because of how close Lean was to his body. He tried to struggle, not enough to get free, but enough that Lean had to get closer to him to keep him down. "Say it!" she commanded him. He shook his head franticly and started to resist even more.

"No!" he yelled. He tried with all his might to get her off him, even if he did like her being so close, he didn't want to say those words. She wouldn't budge. He thought of another way to get her off or at least him on top. He pushed her hands up with his wrists, grabbed her legs with his and pushed up with all his might with his right shoulder. They tumbled over. Now Zatch was on top but not for long. Lean pushed him up and he fell on his back with her on top of him again.

"Say it!" she told him yet again. Zatch shook his head yet again. He knew he wouldn't win because Lean had the upper hand. Instead he went limp. Lean noticed this. "Come on! If you don't say it I guess I'll have to stay on you," she said. Zatch's face went red. "Not like that!" she yelled. Zatch pushed his head up.

"Then I guess we'll be here all day," Zatch replied not ready to give up. Lean let go of his arms and folded hers. Zatch quickly moved his hands ready to push her down but she held his hands and pushed them down again. Her face was in his, she had a smug smile on her face.

"You're not getting up until you say it," She told him. He rolled his eyes. He looked at their hands, they were intertwined. His heart started to race, but than he noticed she let go of his hands. He looked up and quickly wrapped his hands around Lean. "What the… don't you dare…" he pulled her into his chest and started to roll around. Now he was on top and wouldn't let her get the upper hand again.

"Say it!" he exclaimed. She went limp and looked at him angrily. He smiled back.

"Fine!" she said frustrated. Zatch was filled with joy. "You are the bes…"

"Commander Zatch," a voice said from behind Zatch's back. He got up off of Lean and turned around.

"This isn't over," he told Lean and went back to the man who had called his name. He was dressed in rich Fire Nation attire. He bowed to Zatch. Lean got up.

"Who's this?" she asked. They both looked at her and then at each other.

"I have news from the Fire Lord," he told Zatch. Zatch nodded telling him to go on. "You are to go to the Northern Water Tribe to help the Earth Kingdom negotiate an alignment with them… you will be leaving tomorrow," he explained. Lean's heart fell. She already had three people leave because of the Earth Kingdom. She didn't want to lose another friend. She looked up and saw a reptilian like creature with wings float down beside Zatch. It was a dragon! It green scales ran from his head to his tail. Its wigs unfurled when it eyes met the messenger's eyes. It started to growl. It had crimson red eyes. Zatch flicked the back of its left ear. It winced and fell back.

"Thanks sir, I'll pack tonight," Zatch said. The man bowed again and left. The monstrous dragon turned and saw Lean. Lean froze, she stood still as it growled and started to walk towards her. Zatch quickly grabbed its head. "Sorry, he just doesn't like strangers," he explained to her. He sat on his head so it would snap at her. "His name's Zolt, he just needs your sent and you'll be fine," he said. Lean nodded and backed away.

"Yah well I don't really want to get too familiar with Zolt if that's okay with you," she said shaken. Zatch nodded but then disappointedly look down at his feet. "Sucks you gotta leave," Lean said. He nodded sadly.

"Well not yet but till tomorrow… you want to do something till than?" he asked. She nodded with a smile on her face.

--

The stars shone in the night sky. The moon light up the water of the creek where they would always go. They laid looking up at the sky. Zatch rested his head on his hands. Suddenly Lean rolled over and rested her head on his chest and held onto him. She closed her eyes and moved closer to him rubbing her head on his chest, trying to get comfortable. Zatch's heart started to race. He looked down at her as she was falling asleep.

"Keep talking," she whispered in a tired voice. He looked at her confused. He put his hand on her back and pulled her in more.

"But I have nothing else to say," he told her. She smiled and held onto him tighter.

"I don't care I just want to hear you talk…tell me a story," she whispered into his chest. He smiled and rested his head on hers. He knew she had a boyfriend but he couldn't help himself from getting close to Lean. He thought for a moment on what to tell her.

"When I was a kid, I would always got to the harbor and watch the ships come in. I watched as wives embraced their husbands and husbands embrace their wives. I would watch as children would run into their father's arms as he stepped onto the dock. I would see families be re-united. They got to see their fathers come back. I envied them because of that. I knew my dad would never step foot on those docks again but…"

"Why would he never step foot on the docks?" Lean asked. She was coming in and out of sleep but she still heard his story.

"Because he died when I was eight. But I always promised myself when ever I saw someone waiting by themselves and not finding their loved one that I would never do that to my family," he told her.

"But you're a commander," she stated confused. He sighed.

"I know, but I never promise myself I wouldn't become one…I just promise myself I wouldn't leave them forever," he told her. She held on to him even tighter.

"Don't leave me forever," she whispered.


	4. Departure

Departure

**Departure **

"This is depressing, we leaving on a voyage to the Northern Water Tribe and no one's here to wish us luck," a soldier whined as he carried boxes up to the metal ship. Lean was leaning on a building watching the soldiers prepare to leave.

"What's even worse our commander isn't even here," the other soldier complained as they walked out of view. It must have been hard for them to depart from a different country to go on a voyage without anyone giving them a warming good bye, Lean thought to herself. She looked up and saw a young man run to the end of the ship in his Fire Nation armour. He wore a bright smile and looked at Lean. They stood there looking at each other.

"Hey beautiful who you waiting for?" he asked her. Lean turned her head away. He jumped off the boat and walked up to her. She turned and looked at him again. He still had his smile painted on his face. "You just watching some manly men getting ready to leave?" he asked smugly. Lean clenched her teeth and made her hands fist. The boy notice this and his smile disappeared. "Sorry…um…are you waiting for anyone?"

"Um, yah," she mumbled as she searched around the harbour to find Zatch. The boy also started to look around.

"May I ask who?" he said. Lean looked up at him confused for a moment.

"Oh…I'm just waiting for Zatch," Lean replied. A smile went back on his face. "What are you smiling at?"

"Looks like Zatch has got himself a little lady friend," he said as he nudged her with his hand. Leans face light up and she pushed the boys hand away.

"What!? No!" she exclaimed. Everyone on the harbour started to look at her. She slouched down a bit on the wall. The boy looked at her slightly frightened and walked away.

"I hope Rage didn't give you much trouble he's new on my crew," A voice said from behind Lean. She turned around. It was Zatch. "Well they're all new… I'm just taking over Captain Sepius's ship while he's on leave," he explained. Lean ran up and hugged Zatch. The crew stopped working and watched the two friends hug each other. "Who said you could stop? Let's get back to work! I want leave today!" Zatch's voice boomed through the entire harbour.

"Zatch!... I mean Commander Zatch! Earth Kingdom ship coming in from the east," Rage yelled from the ship. Zatch nodded and waved to him to get back to work.

"So…do you do anything or just yell?" Lean asked sarcastically.

"Just yell," Zatch said playing along. He pulled a small telescope out of his pocket. He expanded it to make it larger. He looked out to see the ship. It was a metal Fire Nation ship with a Earth Kingdom flag flying above it. "Odd, haven't seen that before,"

"What?" Lean asked as she took the telescope out of his hands. She looked into to it. "It's my dad's ship!" She exclaimed. Zatch started to laugh.

"Okay boys stop what you're doing! We're going to help this ship dock!" Zatch commanded his crew. They dropped everything and walked onto the docks…well some of them did, others kept going on disloyally doing what they wanted. The ship slowed to a halt and a few men jumped out and tied the ship down. A large man dressed as authority walked on top of the ship. "Greetings sir, I am Commander Zatch and you are?"

"They call me stone…Aren't you a little young to be a commander?" the man asked. Lean had a smirk on her face.

"Aren't you a little too old to have a nickname?" Zatch replied. The man started to laugh.

"Touché… what are you doing on this side of the Earth Kingdom?"

"I could ask you the same question Do you need any help unloading?"

"Yes that would be great."

"Okay men you heard him! Those who don't help don't get super!" the crew jumped off their ship and ran up to the other one.

"Wait!" The man's voice boomed. "Is that my daughter?" Lean nodded with a smile. A tear ran down her face. The man jumped down from the ship and started to hug her daughter. "I missed you," he told Lean. He let go of her and patted Zatch on the back. "You're quite the commander, my crew wouldn't have even move if I told them to help another crew," he commented. "Where you heading?"

"Northern Water Tribe… heard some idiot from the Earth Kingdom wore the mask of Twilight all around town and has jeopardized the alignment," Zatch told him.

"Sounds like Dao," The man laughed. "Name's Dar, Captain Dar Nice to meet you,"

"Oh my god! Lean!" a voice squealed. They all looked up. It was a girl dressed in middle class Earth Kingdom clothing.

"Kari! It's been like forever!" Lean said. The girl jumped down and started to hug Lean. "Oh…Zatch this is my friend Kari,"

"Oh, you got a new boyfriend… I thought you were still dating Areon?" Kari said. Zatch's face turned red and so did Lean's. Dar looked at her daughter than at Zatch angrily.

"No, he's not my boyfriend…Areon still is," Lean tried to explain.

"Commander! The ship is ready!" Rage said from the ship. Zatch waved at him to get ready to depart. Zatch started to walk away. Lean grabbed his hand and turned him back around. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He was so much taller than Lean that she had to go on her tip toes. She started to cry as she felt him hug back.

"You better come back," she whispered to him.

"I will," he whispered back.

AN: argh! Stupid writer's block! I can't write right now! Damn it! I hope you guys like it…I'm not sure about this one.


	5. Mistakes and Relationships

Mistakes and Relationships

**Mistakes and Relationships**

"Wait what does that mean!" Dao yelled at the paper in front of him. Zatch twitched his head over to him. "It makes no sense…Zatch do you get it?" he asked. Zatch nodded. Areon stared blankly at both of them.

"I did write this… a detachment alignment claws means if the other nation does something you don't approve of, than you can cancel the alignment," Zatch explained. Dao blinked.

"Is that what we want?" Dao asked. Zatch shook his head. He pointed to something written on the piece of paper set in front of them. Areon read it.

"Fire Nation brat's trying to say we've agreed on a true alignment claws, which means no matter what we are allies," Areon explained to Dao. Zatch nodded than paused.

"Fire Nation brat!?" He exclaimed. Dao snatched the paper and started to head for the door before the two fought again.

"Well we got our agreement all arranged, let's go tell the elders," Dao told them. Zatch ran up and patted him on the back.

"Don't the elders hate you though?" He asked and walked away. Dao frowned and ran up to him.

"Just 'cause I'm not rich or super smart or even in a great army doesn't mean they don't like me!" He retorted. Zatch smiled smugly.

"I know…it's because you're dating Sanara," Zatch said and grabbed the paper out of Dao's hands. "Let me talk to them." Dao started to fume. He couldn't believe some one younger than him would talk so boldly of themselves to him. Zatch turned around and looked at Dao. "Oh yah, I'm not talking boldly of myself I'm just making sure this works out," he said and started to walk into the elders meeting room. "Don't screw this up!" he yelled back at the two Earth Kingdom boys.

"I don't like him," Areon said as he caught up to Dao. Dao nodded and started to walk to the meeting room. Areon slapped his forehead and followed. "We are so going to screw this up," he mumbled to himself.

--

"Ha three points…I think…or something…I don't really get this game..?" Lean ranted as she and Kari sat at the Pai Sho table in Lean's small house. Kari slapped her forehead in frustration. She looked at Lean with a crooked face.

"You just lost the game for yourself," she told Lean. Lean sank down while Kari laughed on. Lean hit her shoulder and Kari winced.

"Shut up this game is hard," Lean whined. Kari moved over to her side of the table. She started to smile to comfort her friend and than looked at the table carefully. Lean had a perfect game using those pieces but didn't know where to place them. She must have known how to play; something was just on her mind.

"Thinking about Areon?" Kari asked her trying to get into her friend's head. Lean paused for a second than looked at Kari.

"Huh? Yah…Areon…" She mumbled and bit her lip. She wasn't thinking about Areon, she tried to but all that she could think about was Zatch. Kari moved closer.

"oh really…anything dirty?" Kari asked curious. Lean looked at her confused than pushed her down.

"No! Why would you think that!?" Lean yelled.

"Because he's hot and your boyfriend,"

"I hope your not talking about boys!" Dar yelled from the kitchen.

"No dad," Lean replied. Kari turned back to Lean. Her face turned when she came to realization.

"Oh my god! You're not thinking about Areon!" she exclaimed. Lean covered her mouth and pinned her against the ground. Kari pulled her hand away. "You love Zatch!" she laughed and pushed Lean off her. Lean laid on the floor thinking about it. _Do I really love Zatch? No, he's just a friend…you have a boyfriend…you can't love him…but, I do. _Lean sat up. A tear ran down her eye when she finally realized what her feelings for Zatch were. "Lean are you okay?" Kari asked concerned about her friend.

"I love him," Lean whispered to herself.


	6. Arrival

Arrival

**Arrival**

The crisp cold air whistled past her ears as the boat move closer to the coldest regions on the earth. All that Lean could see were icebergs after icebergs, no land, and no people. She couldn't comprehend how someone could live in such harsh conditions. The cold air nipped her face and the icy metal pricked her hands. Her breath was a fog of heat that burst from her mouth and nostrils. Kari walked up behind her.

"So… we're going to the Northern Water Tribe…you ready to break up with Areon?" she asked a little intimidated. Lean kept looking out to the sea as the spikes of ice floated about. She sighed as she thought about Areon, their past was filled with fond memories but she knew she didn't love him, she didn't know what to do.

"I don't know," she sighed and rested her head on her hand. She stared out into the blue sky and watched the clouds drift past her. She thought about Zatch. She longed to see him again. Before he came into her life it was simple and easy but not happy. She found happiness in Zatch. She sat and thought _Happiness or past? _She thought and thought. It was silent for several minutes before the thought occurred in her head. _They would both want me to be happy right? _She pondered that a moment. The cold made her want the warmth of the Fire Nation boy's body. She finally made up her mind. She knew Areon would understand. "I'll let him go…I know he would want me to be with Zatch," she mumbled to her friend.

"Hmm…maybe I could score with him after you break his heart…" Kari thought to herself out loud. Lean was filled with rage she turned to her friend.

"How could you even think that right now? We are still a couple you know, and you want to catch him on the rebound! You're more selfish than I thought!" Lean yelled at her. Kari didn't stumble back but stood up straight eager to fight back.

"Well aren't you a hypocrite! You're the one who steals everything you get your hands on! Plus you knew I liked Areon long before you dated him!" She yelled back furious. Lean went back to leaning on the rail. She had no idea. Kari left right before Areon asked Lean out. She felt so guilty. Now she knew giving up Areon was best for everyone.

I'm…sorry," she choked on the words and came out chopped up and quiet. "I didn't know…I thought you…I mean…you weren't there…you left," Kari placed her hand on he rambling friend Lean looked up to see a smile on Kari's face.

"It's okay…everything will be fine…I promise," Kari told Lean. They smiled each other and than hugged. They warmed each other in the cold of the Water Tribe.

"Land Ho!" The soldier in the crows nest bellowed. The rest of Lean's father's crew cheered as they saw the giant ice wall with the Northern Water Tribe Symbol in crested into it. They had arrived.

--

Dao's back it the hard ice. Zatch's hands gripped his shoulder as he landed on top of him. His fist rose in the air, Dao tried to struggle but his efforts were useless. Zatch's fist bashed against his face. Instantly it stung with pain and his head turned to the side with such a great amount of force the other side of Dao's face smashed against the ice. Dao's pain was not as great as his anger. He punched Zatch's chin and Zatch's face was turned skyward. Dao than punched his stomach and the Fire Nation boy fell to his side clutching his stomach. Dao scrambled away from him and got on his feet. Zatch looked up at him with enraged eyes. The glare burnt into Dao's heart.

"What the Fuck! You've ruined the agreement for the last time!" Zatch yelled as he ran to his feet and in one sudden movement land his fist on Dao's face. This sent the Earth Kingdom boy stumbling into an ice wall. The frozen tundra gave Zatch the advantage for the cold wouldn't slow him down if he use fire to heat him up. His fists were warmer than anything as the pounded into Dao. Dap pushed the boy away to catch his breath and tried to regain some strength. "If you would shut the fuck up for at least two seconds this would have been over along time ago!" Zatch yelled as he pushed Dao to the ground.

"But… I love her," Dao retorted. The pain made it hard to focus and generate words to explain this to Zatch. Zatch kicked him in the stomach as if he just said the must insulting thing ever to Zatch.

"Then you should have told her AFTER the meeting!" He yelled, and went to kick him again.

Lean saw Areon run past an ally near her and Kari. She froze for a moment than saw a Water Tribe girl follower him and than Rage tagged behind them both. Lean could sense that something bad was happening. She grabbed Kari's wrist and followed the other group of people. Once Lean caught up to the people she saw Areon two boys away from each other. One was her brother beaten and bruised, and the other was a fuming Zatch. She and Kari paused confused as to what was going on. Areon pushed Zatch into Rage and shoved Dao into the Water Tribe girl's arms. Rage was the first to notice Lean and Kari, than everyone else turned around to see them. Dao, Areon looked at them in surprised and excited. The girl tilted her head confused. Dao ran up and hugged her sister.

"I'm so happy to see you," he exclaimed into Lean's ear. Than Areon came up and kissed her on the lips. It was awkward for Lean but Areon didn't seem to mind kissing his girlfriend. Zatch just stood looking at us beside Rage who was waving.

"What's going on?" Lean asked confused looking back and forth at Dao and Zatch. They both looked down at their feet disappointed.

"Dao over here just told the group of elders that her loved on of their daughters while Zatch was trying to negotiate an agreement. The Elders flipped and postponed the agreement and than Zatch started to yell at Dao, Dao yelled back and than Zatch started to beat the shit out of him," Rage explained. Lean saw the Water Tribe girl start to blush. When she looked at Kari her face was churned and her nose was scrunched out of revulsion. "…What's wrong with Kari?" Rage asked confused.

"Um…well you see…Dao and Kari use to date," Lean explained. She heard the girl laugh at her words.

"Well at least he got to date," she laughed on. Lean notice Zatch look at the girl than Kari than Areon than at me. His expression changed with every person he looked at. His looked at me with a soft smile on his face and a glimmer in his eyes. I smiled back as the others were baffling over Kari and Dao's old relationship. It reminded her of the first time she met Zatch than she remembered the mask she stole for her brother. She pulled it out of the bag that rested on her back.

"Dao I got this for you," Lean said as she handed the red, monstrous mask to him. He held it in his hands and smiled. He looked over at the unknown girl.

"Well hopefully it won't make the Water Tribe like Sanara's mask," he said with a wink. The Girl smiled and twirled her hair flirtatiously. He turned back to his sister. "So where did you find the money to buy this?" he asked. Lean froze and could think p a full sentence to cover the truth.

"Well…um…it's like…" she stuttered.

"She stole it," Zatch laughed and looked at Dao. Dao's eyes were filled with disappointment than turned to glee for one reason or another.

"Well…it's the thought that counts…is dad here?" He asked. Lean nodded and pointed to the direction where she had last seen him. He hugged her one last time and walked away. The girl followed her. Zatch looked over to Rage as if to say go help them out. Rage nodded and followed the other two. It left Zatch, Lean Kari and Areon alone.

"Um… can I talk to Areon alone?" She asked her two friends. Zatch and Kari nodded and walked away. Lean was finally ready to break up with him.


	7. The Break Up

The Break up

**The Break Up**

AN: I must say most of this is inspired by the song Ice Queen by Within Temptation…actually I'm listening to it as I write this story.

"So Lean how's it going..? What did you want to talk about?" Areon asked interested in her life. Lean said nothing but had a gentle smile on her face. "I missed you," he told her. Lean's heart sank. He didn't know that she was about to break up with him.

"I'm fine…and I wanted to talk about us," Lean said. Areon's comforting smile faded away.

"Oh," he said fearfully. Lean placed her hand on his rugged shoulder with a sympathetic face painted on.

"I know you've been busy doing this agreement shit or something and you've been far away from your friends and family for a while…this isn't because of you being in the army or anything…" Lean tried to explain when Areon interrupted her.

"Than what is this about…why are you breaking up with me?" he asked confused and upset. Lean stood there baffled. She didn't know what to say. She had to think for a moment.

"Because…um…I have changed…it's not because of you, I swear," Lean tried to explain. Areon's glare was filled with rage. "I'm sorry," she mumbled after a moment of Areon's staring. Areon pushed Lean's hand away from his shoulder.

"It's because of Zatch isn't?" He asked frustrated. Lean stumbled back.

"What!? No…why would you think about that?"

"I saw the way you looked at him…I know you like him…I guess more than you like me."

"It's not his fault okay; I just fell in love with him…"

"In love!? I thought it was just some cruse that you wanted to pursue and maybe I could change your mind…but love…I can't let you stay with me if it keeps you away from the person you love," He told Lean. Her heart lifted, he understood. He didn't fight back. Lean smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you," she said to him as a tear ran down her face.

--

"So how did it go?" Kari asked Lean as they walked together. Lean looked at her friend with a smile. Kari laughed. "It went that well?" Kari exclaimed. Lean nodded, Kari looked at her astonished. "So what are you going to say to Zatch?" Lean froze in her tracks. She didn't even think of it. Right now it felt like she could barely make a complete sentence let alone tell him how she felt. "You don't know!"

"I just don't know what to say…what would you say?" Lean asked. Kari paused and thought for a moment.

"I don't know…okay you've got a point there…but you should at least tell him something," Kari told Lean.

"Okay but nothing too big yet…at least not that I love him,"

"Oh you know what you should do? Make a heart out of ice and write I heart you on it, it'll be hilarious!" Lean glared at her friend. Kari's smile faded away quickly. Lean started to laugh than Kari joined in.

--

Areon glared at Zatch as he stumbled back with a fat lip. Zatch's lip had gone numb. Areon raised his arm again ready to hit. Zatch winced before anything happened.

"I said I didn't like Fire Nation brats," Areon yelled has he stroke Zatch in the face. His hands covered his face as the blood seeped out of his nose. Areon pushed him back. His back slammed against an ice wall and he fell to the ground. "Why aren't you fighting back?" Areon asked him.

"I am!" Zatch yelled. The ice below Areon turned into nothing and he fell into the cold ocean water. Zatch's bloody face appeared over the hole. "I told you I didn't like you," Zatch stated smugly. Areon started to shiver in the icy water. "Oh and by the way I always win," Zatch told him and walked away.

AN: I know its short I just want to get the story line moving faster.


	8. Beaten and Bruised

AN: If I don't write tomorrow or again today I most remind all readers I won't be writing Thursday and if I do Friday very late because I'm going to Toronto with my music class

AN: If I don't write tomorrow or again today I most remind all readers I won't be writing Thursday and if I do Friday very late because I'm going to Toronto with my music class!

**Beaten and Bruised**

The Northern Water Tribe was eerily quite as Lean walked by herself through on of the districts in the large village. Many of the people there had large houses and came from noble families or from the elders' families. The ice buildings were built up on an angle forming an icy hill of houses. Zatch, Dao and Areon occupied one of the houses, Lean guessed near Sanara's house. She wasn't use to the cold, no earthbender would be. Lean could see Zatch's red armor stand out from the blue parkas that the Water Tribe inhabitants wore.

"Zatch!" she yelled across the icy pathway. Zatch made a slight reaction but kept walking. Lean saw his hands stained with blood and he was slightly limping. Lean ran up beside him. Her face was covered with concern as his was filled with pain and anger. Dry blood covered the bottom part of his face. He had a black eye and bruises on his cheeks. Zatch glanced down slightly at her with pain filled eyes. Lean grabbed onto his arm and stopped them both. "What happened?" She asked, her voice shivered with concern. Zatch's eyes started to water.

"Your boyfriend's swimming in the water," Zatch replied. He started to walk away. Lean pulled him into her. Her eyes glared at him burning seriousness into him. Lean couldn't help but notice how close they were to each other. She could feel Zatch's heat radiating off of him and seeping into her cold body.

"Please tell me what happened," She ordered him as her throat formed a lump making it hard for her to breathe let alone talk. Zatch looked at her with a soft yet comforting smile though his eyes didn't tell the same story. His eyes trailed away from hers for a moment than came back as she placed a hand on his shoulder in apprehension and compassion.

"Areon started to beat me…I had to defend myself…I kind of made him fall into the wat…" Zatch's sentence was interrupted by an unexpected huge. Lean sank her face into his chest and started to cry lightly. She held on to him tightly. Zatch started to hug her back his grip tight around her.

"I missed you," She mumbled. Her voice was restrained by the lump in her throat making her words weak and quivery. Zatch's grip loosened slightly but he nudged her head with his and started to rest on her slightly.

"I missed you to," He whispered in a comforting voice. Lean slowly pulled away from him. She looked at his face another time. It was sore and painful just to look at. She placed he hand on his face as she observed him. Zatch winced slightly when she touched him but he didn't want her to let go. She bit her lip fighting off the temptation to kiss him. Her and slowly moved down his face t his neck and paused slightly when it reached his chest. She moved her hand to his hand and grabbed on.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Lean suggested as she pulled him towards his empty house.

--

"You broke up!" Zatch exclaimed surprised as Lean explained what she and Areon were talking about. Lean put a wet cloth to Zatch's face and wiped off most of the dry blood. He winced and tried to squirm. Lean grabbed onto his face and suddenly froze. They sat on a couch made out of some animal fur. They sat cross legged looking at one another.

"Stop moving," Lean demanded as she wiped the remaining blood off. His bruises were now easier to see. Lean thoroughly examined them as she titled Zatch's head back and forth, up and down, and side to side. Zatch didn't resist, he didn't even seem to mind. "Areon beat you pretty badly," Lean stated. Zatch grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands away from his face.

"Why did you break up with him?" He asked concerned. Lean looked away for a moment. She couldn't tell, not now. Her eyes started to water. She felt Zatch's hand touch her face. He turned her face so she looked into his eyes. They were filled with anxiety and uncertainty. Lean held on to the hand that rested on her face.

"I changed…he changed…I just didn't see use together anymore…I really don't want to talk about," she rambled. Zatch put a smile on his face to comfort her. He moved in a bit more his hand still on her face. She started to blush unable to fight back her emotions.

"It's okay," he whispered soothingly. Lean smiled back. She leaned in to kiss him but suddenly bailed nervously and hugged him. He hugged back. His touch always soothed her. _One day I'll tell you._


	9. The Truth I fell in love with you

Two weeks later

Two weeks later

**The Truth ( I fell in love with you)**

AN : for those of you who don't know how to speak french the translation is 'Je suis tombee amourex de toi'. Just a little french lesson i've been meaning to give out.

The full moon shone brightly in the darkness making the ice shimmer like the stars in the sky. Lean had found herself yet again walking in the strange country just to find Zatch. He sat on a bench that was formed by frozen water. He looked up into the stary sky by himself. Lean sat beside him on the cold bench and moved close to him. It took him a moment to notice someone was there. As he saw Lean a smile filled his face. His yellow eyes sparkled in the moon's light. His vage shadow gave him a mysterious look.

"Lean, what are you doing here?" He asked. Lean smiled but didn't answer the question. She shrugged and rested her head on his sturdy shoulder. Zatch was a strong person, one of the strongest people she had ever seen; even though he didn't look it or have as much muscles as others he was still strong. She knew she was outside to find him. She never wanted to talk anymore but just listen to his voice.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she nestled him. She crept closer to him as her emotions took over again; she didn't know how to fight them but knew how to follow them. Zatch looked up into the black sky again with a smile on his face.

"I'm looking at the stars," he replied. Lean looked up at the sky. She didn't pay much attention to the stars but one caught her eye in the middle of the darkness. It shone brighter than any other star and stood out a lot. Lean pointed to it.

"What's that star?" she asked hoping he knew the answer. Zatch followed her hand to the star she pointed at. He smiled with a slight chuckle.

"That is Polaris, the northern star," he told her. She put her hand down satisfied with the answer. "It usually guides ships at night…it is a very useful star…I've used that star before to navigate around," Zatch added. Lean moved her head around on his shoulder to try and get comfortable. Her eyes became heavy and every now and the she would nod off. Zatch talking about his ship reminded her of something.

"Didn't you guys get that agreement signed a day or so ago?" She asked trying to keep the conversation going. Zatch nodded. He slide his shoulder down forcing Lean to sit u straight. She looked up at him confused. "What?" she asked.

"I have to tell you something…but you can't tell anyone…not even Dao or Kari…it's a secret," He said in a serious one. Lean looked at him even more confused. He looked at her. His eyes filled with importance. "Do you promise?" he asked.

"Yes," Lean said sincerely. Zatch smiled slightly under his solemn face. He grabbed her hand and made her look him in the face. The same face that still gleamed in the night's light. Lean started to blush but she kept telling herself it was a more serious matter than that.

"I'm a Wing-Fang," Zatch stated gravely. Lean looked at him slightly confused not understanding how that was of importance. "If anyone finds out I am one, many people will try to kill me," he said, his voice grim. "I trust Lean to never tell anyone…but this isn't the point I'm telling you this I need your opinion,"

"My opinion?" She repeated confused. Zatch nodded and pulled her in a bit closer. His voice lowered to a grave whisper.

"In the Wing Guardian Society which the Wing-Fangs are a part of we have certain rules and regulations on just about everything. We are only aloud one child to carry on our names, for example. We are not aloud to marry inside the Winged Guardian Society or marry out of our own nation," he explained. Lean nodded as she took in the information.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked still slightly confused. Zatch's eyes trailed off for a second than came back to her.

"Hypothetically, what if I loved a Bei-Fong, leaders of the Winged Guardian Society, what do you think I should do?" he asked Lean the question with heavy importance. She pulled her hands away as she thought. She thought long and hard to try and articulate her thoughts perfectly for him. She looked up at his face. It was filled with anxiety. She held his hands again.

"I think you need to ask yourself what you love more; the rules or the person you love," she told him.

"You," he mumbled and moved in to kiss her. His hand rested on the icy bench as he leaned farther into her. Before his lips touched hers, his hand melted through the bench making him hit his head on the ice and fall to the ground. As he fell the bench broke in two. Lean slipped off and landed beside Zatch. His head was bruised. Lean looked at his head slightly concerned but truly she was repeating his words in her head. _You, _echoed on and on like a warm comforting song. Zatch noticed her looking at his head. "I'm mmmm…" Lean started to kiss him passionately. Zatch was in shock for a second and before he could relax his lips on hers she pulled herself away from him.

"I know," she whispered into his ear. She pulled him in again by his collar and started kissing him again. This time Zatch kissed back.


	10. Enter the Fire Nation

Enter the Fire Nation

**Enter the Fire Nation**

Lean had her arm wrapped around Zatch's as they sailed across the ocean, they were heading to the Fire Nation. Lean had heard stories about how the Fire Nation was a technologically advance Nation compared the other three. The sun was rising as they came closer to the capital harbour. Lean rested her head on Zatch's shoulder. He had woken up the entire fleet early so they could land in the harbour before the deadline, which was that day. It wasn't much of a fleet really; it was just Zatch's ship and the ship Dar borrowed from the Fire Nation.

"Why did you have to wake me up so early?" she whined. He looked at her with a loving smile on. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him.

"So you could fall asleep on my shoulder," he replied. Her eyes became heavy and she dozed off for a second but before she was completely out of it she remembered Zatch whispering something in her ear. "I love you," he told her.

"Land ho!" Rage yelled from the crows nest. She opened her eyes and saw the large harbour in front of her. It stretched on for about five hundred metres and was even longer going into the base of the ancient volcano. It was all covered in bricks and stones and metal carts moved around with nothing to pull them. The anchors were blasted from the ship and hit the end of the dock, by themselves looped around the knob on the dock. It came to a halt and the starboard part of the ship split open and the soldiers walked off. Lean was amazed on how that could even be possible.

"Lean are you coming or are just going to stare at the harbour all day?" Zatch asked smugly. Lean grabbed his hand and walked off the boat. She met up with her father and her friends at the end of the dock. Zatch whistled and Zolt came flying down out of nowhere. "Rage escort or friends to my house I'll meet you there in about an hour, I'm just going to tell the Fire Lord the good news," he told them and flew away on Zolt. Lean looked at the monsterous sized mountain.

"How are we going to get up there?" Lean asked confused. Everyone shrugged except for Rage who started to head for the mountain.

"If you guys aren't that smart it would be climbing the whole thing," he laughed and kept walking. They followed him to his destination.

* * *

It was like something out of a fictional novel. The metal carts were linked together to form a sort of train like the ones in Ba Sing Se but metal and powered by steam. The train came to a halt and spurted out steam as it did. The doors opened by themselves and the people walked on board. Inside the train there were two columns of seats and in each row there were two seats. Lean sat down on a seat next to a window. Sanara sat beside her. Lean looked at her confused.

"It doesn't seem like we've gotten to know each other well," Sanara stated. Lean rolled her eyes and blew some hair that was in her face. "I heard you were quite the character," Sanara said. Lean shrugged. She really didn't want to talk right now. "I heard you were very philosophical…I like philosophy a bit…tell me what do you think the stars represent," Sanara asked. Lean looked at her again surprised. "I think that the stars are the souls of those who lost their life in the night," Sanara told her.

"I think the northern star directs you to your destiny and no matter what gets in your way you must follow it or you will never fulfill your life," Lean said. Snara nodded and pondered the thought.

"But than one must know how to read and follow the stars," she said.

"That's why only a few people have fulfilled their life and have found a meaning," Lean told her. Sanara nodded understanding what she meant even though it didn't seem so uplifting. "How did you become so smart?" Lean asked her.

"Well when you're an only child of an elder you pick up a few things," Sanara told Lean. She smiled glad she found a friend in Dao's girlfriend.

"You wanna know what I think the stars represent," Rage said behind them. They turned and looked at him. He had a big grin on his face.

"What that fireflies got caught in the sky and they can't get back down," Lean said sarcastically with a smug grin on her face.

"Well if you're just going to steal my jokes I guess I shouldn't talk to you," Rage said.

"Fine by me," Lean laughed. Sanara started to laugh too. The girls turned back around to block out Rage from the conversation. The train was now descending on the other side of the mountain and Lean could see the entire city. Sanara looked over Lean's shoulder to see it. "How do you know where to go?" Lean asked Rage.

"Well…you know I lived here my entire life and I don't know how I get from place to place," Rage said. The train stopped and we walked off the train. Sanara walked over to Dao and locked arms with him. Lean was left to walk beside Rage and her father. Areon had avoided her for the past few weeks and spent most of his time with Kari. "Follow me," Rage told us as we walked out of the train station.

* * *

They had come to the richest part of the Fire Nation. They were now in some place called Searion square. Rage told everyone Zatch's house was the one that stood out the most. Lean's eye caught the largest house in the square. It towered over all of them, it didn't seem imposing but inviting.

"Is that his house?" Lean asked Rage pointing to the enormous mansion. He nodded and walked up to the door as Lean stood behind him. He knocked three times which was a habit that everyone seemed to have. All of us stood there waiting for a few moments before anyone heard footsteps come near the door. A woman opened the door with a slightly confused face on. Once her eyes landed on Rage she started to smile.

"You all must be Zatch's friends, please come," she told them. One by one they walked into the house. The foyer was enormous with a crystal like chandelier hanging from the ceiling. "How are all of you?" she asked as she gestured them to sit on the leather couches in one of the near rooms. She had tea set out on a table and handed each of them a cup. She had black hair and yellow eyes like Zatch but she didn't have the white stripe racing through her hair. She smiled at Lean when she noticed she was staring at her.

"Fine," everyone replied but Lean had something different to say. She felt like she had to tell Zatch's mother the truth.

"I know," Lean stated. The woman stopped herself from drinking and looked up at Lean again. Everyone else looked at Lean confused. The women placed her cup on the table.

"Well than I guess me, you and Zatch are going to have to talk after this," she said. Lean nodded and suddenly felt nervous. "By the way my name is Sino," she said and bowed to all of them. They bowed back. Lean heard the door open and someone come into the house. Zatch walked into the room and went to give his mother a hug. "Why does she know?" Sino asked Zatch before he could hug her. He stood up straight and his face became red. He was speechless. "We need to talk," his mother said firmly and escorted her son out of the room and signalled for Lean to follow.


	11. Ara

Sino closed the wooden doors behind her as Lean and Zatch entered into the room

**Ara**

Sino closed the wooden doors behind her as Lean and Zatch entered into the room. She turned around and looked at us with stern eyes. Zatch stood there nervously fiddling his thumbs. Lean was captivated by the size of the room and forgot about Sino and Zatch for a moment.

"How could you be so stupid as to tell her," Zatch's mother said. Obviously this was a bigger deal than Lean thought it would be.

"I had to tell her," Zatch replied. Sino looked at Lean and Zatch and finally realized why but that didn't seem to please. Zatch knew this and tried to explain it a bit better. "I love her," Zatch said. Lean never got tired of those words. She loved the way Zatch said the words, he said them so compassionately every time.

"You can't let emotions put your life a stake," Sino said sternly. Zatch looked over at Lean for support. She was playing with a plant in the corner of the room though she did hear every word they said.

"I would never tell anyone about Zatch's identity, I know the danger it would put him in," Lean said to comfort Sino. The mother walked up to Lean and placed her hands on Lean's shoulders.

"It would be dangerous to just him. If anyone found out you had anything to do with the Wing-Fangs you would be put into danger," Sino told her. Lean looked over to Zatch, he couldn't look her in the eye as he waited to she what she would say.

"I'm willing to take that risk," Lean said. Zatch looked up at her with a smile on his face and started to hug her. Sino was pleased too. Everything fell silent for a moment.

"Does she know about you firebending?" Sino asked Zatch. He shook his head. Lean became confused.

"What? Does he firebend blue and if anyone finds out they'll strip him of his rank for being a follower of Azula," Lean said slightly sarcastically. Zatch shook his head again.

"I bend green fire…it's kind of a step above blue," Zatch said. Sino slapped her forehead out of her son's stupidity. Zatch looked over at his mom confused. Lean wasn't quite sure at this point the importance of keeping his firebending a secret, but she did anyways.

"Well since I know some of your secrets I think it's only fair that I ell you one of mine," Lean told them. Sino nodded agreeing but Zatch shook his head disapprovingly. "I'm a metal bender," Lean stated. Zatch's jaw dropped and so did Sino's. "I heard that a while ago a twelve year old girl learnt to metal bend. My brother always told me I was a horrible earthbender and I wanted to prove him wrong. Everyday after earthbending practice I would go to the outskirts of town where an abandoned fire nation cart was left and I would try to bend its metal. It took me a year or two just to be descent at it, but now I almost mastered it," Lean told them. Sino started to smile.

"Well you two will make a great spawn," Sino stated. Zatch's and Lean's face became red.

"I'm happy you're so open to that," Zatch said. Lean started to laugh and hugged Zatch. Suddenly an unnatural sound rang through the house. Lean jumped behind Zatch frightened. "Don't worry Lean it was just the door bell," Zatch told her. Lean straightened herself out.

"I knew that," she said. Zatch rolled his eyes and opened the wooden doors into the room where everyone sat. They looked up at them and than at the door. Zatch walked into the foyer and opened the door. Sino gestured Lean to sit down and she did so. All of them could hear a whispered argument coming from the door and than a girl with a cloak over walked into the room.

"Princess Ara, what are you doing here?" Rage asked as he bowed to the mysterious girl. She looked around the room confused.

"Um Rage…who are all these people?" she asked him. Rage stood up and went beside the girl.

"Well this is Zatch's girlfriend, Lean," Rage stated pointing to Lean. She frantically looked at her father for he didn't know she and Zatch were together. He had a disapproving face on. The girl extended her hand out to greet Lean.

"it's an honor to meet you," she said. She looked at the person Lean was sitting beside. "And you are?"

"Kari," she said and shook the girls hand. She walked over to Areon who didn't speak to her. "That is Areon don't mind him, he just doesn't Fire Nation people," Kari told her. She laughed slightly and moved on to the next person which was Dar.

"Oh I know you; you're the captain who borrowed one of our ships. Quite the adventurer, aren't we?" she said. Dar nodded and shook her hand. Zatch entered the room rubbing his brow.

"Great you met everyone, now leave he said. The girl smiled again.

"You're not going to kick a princess out of your house," She said. "Plus I haven't told Rage why I'm here," she added. Zatch rolled his eyes and sat down beside Lean. "My father said I must be married by summers end to this nobleman's son," she stated. "I didn't want to so I came here," she told them.

"Why didn't you want to marry him?" Rage asked concerned. The girl started to blush and became nervous. Rage took a few steps closer and she started to blush even more. Lean got a feeling that this girl had feelings for Rage.

"Because…I…" she didn't even finish her sentence before she started to kiss him. Rage was shocked and confused for a moment and the girl pulled herself away. She and a smile on her face and started to hug him now.

"It is not wise to fall in love with a commodore," Zatch stated. Ara pulled herself away from Rage.

"It is not wise to fall in love one of the Earth Kingdom," Ara retorted. Zatch smiled at her statement.

"I did both," Sanara stated. Everybody seemed to have laughed at that. "Congratulations Rage, you just made the princess of the Fire Nation betray her father how do you feel?" Sanara asked smugly. Lean was really starting to like her attitude even though it was smug. It seemed like she really didn't care what people thought of her.

"Awesome!" Rage exclaimed. Ara laughed and kissed him again.


	12. The Escape

**The Escape**

Zatch paced up and down a corridor of his house as the others packed. He knew he was betraying his country by helping Rage and Ara but they were his friends and from past experiences the Fire Nation wasn't. he heard footsteps coming closer to him and he turned around frantically to find out what it was. Suddenly Dao was in front of him. Zatch jumped back a bit surprised to see him.

"Lean isn't going," Dao stated. Zatch looked at him confused. Just a moment ago he tried to convince Lean it was too dangerous for her but she was too stubborn she wanted go. Zatch didn't know how or why she changed her mind. "I'm not letting my little sister help us betray the Fire Nation. She is going back to the Earth Kingdom with Areon, Kari, and our father," Dao told Zatch.

"But she wants to go doesn't she?" Zatch asked. Dao sadly nodded. Zatch put his hand on Dao's shoulder to comfort him. "And you couldn't convince Sanara to leave as well?" Zatch asked. Dao nodded solemnly again. "I know that you don't want the people you love to get hurt, I understand…" Dao pushed Zatch away from him.

"You don't understand what it's like to see your sister grow up! You haven't seen anyone other than yourself change! You will never understand these feelings I have for my sister!" Dao yelled at him. Zatch had to cover Dao's mouth in hopes he didn't already wake the neighbours. When Zatch thought it was safe he released Dao. He stared at Zatch with odd looking eyes. "You took my sister away from me," Dao stated. Zatch was shocked by his words. Zatch than understood that he would never comprehend the feelings that Dao had about Lean and how he would protect her at all cost.

"I…I'm sorry…I didn't know…" Zatch wheezed out as guilt overpowered his throat making it hard just to breathe. Dao's face was still the same as if the stuttered words didn't help at all. Zatch put his hands back on Dao's shoulders. Even though Zatch was younger than Dao, he was much taller. Zatch had to tell Dao of his feelings for Lean because he wasn't certain if Dao knew. "I have to tell you something," Zatch started.

"What?" Dao asked seemingly confused. Zatch breathed in hesitating for a moment. Dao's grey eyes stared at Zatch with anticipation. A few seconds went by while Zatch built up the strength to tell him. For some reason it was more nerve-wracking than telling his mother his feelings, maybe it was because Dao seemed very protective of Lean. Dao seemed to be losing his patience. Zatch closed his eyes and prayed for the best.

"I love Lean," he stated and opened his eyes. He saw Dao's eyes filled with anger and another passionate emotion that Zatch couldn't describe. Dao clenched his teeth and formed a fist but didn't seem to punch Zatch like he anticipated. Dao's eyes dropped from Zatch's.

"You'd better not break her heart or I'll do more than just punch you. Do you understand me?" Dao told him through his teeth. Zatch nodded with a smile on his face. "Why did you tell me?" Dao asked curiously.

"I thought you should know," Zatch replied. Dao put on a small smile on and walked back to the room that he was staying in for the night. Once no one was near Zatch, his smile faded away and he started to think about what Dao said. _Don't break her heart…I would never want to hurt her. _Zatch heard someone walk into the hall way. He turned around to see Lean loosely dressed in silk clothing from the Fire Nation. She had a tired but loving smile on and her hair was messy as if to show the world she just fell asleep. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck.

"Aren't you going to bed?" she asked flirtatiously. Zatch smiled and brushed some of the brown hair away from her eyes so he could see them looking at him compassionately. Her green eyes sparkled in the moon light that seeped through the window. Zatch placed his face very close to hers with a light, playful smile on his face.

"It depends, who's bed am I going to?" he asked her. Lean giggled slightly and started to kiss Zatch. He had an urge to lead them both into Lean's room but fought it as long as he could. After a long time Lean finally pulled herself from Zatch. For some reason Zatch hesitated before pulling back as well. Lean brushed her hand across Zatch's face.

"Good night fire boy. Try to get some sleep with out me," Lean said and winked as she walked to her room. Zatch started to follow her in for a moment than the door closed on him. He stood there a moment just looking at the door before Kari walked by and entered it. Zatch waved nervously than walked away feeling sweet and incredibly hot.

* * *

The sun hadn't even risen before most of the group was outside anxiously waiting for the others to come out. Lean sprinted out of the door panting carrying two duffle bags full of her clothing and necessities. Zatch smiled as he saw her in all her rushed glory. Her hair was messily put into a bun and it seemed as though she put on the first thing she saw. Zatch loved her unpredictability and that she did whatever she felt like because he himself couldn't be like that. He had to do the same routines every day and wear the same looking clothes and worry about his looks and reputation, but now all that would change once he became a traitor. He wouldn't have to worry what the noblemen thought of him just because he was younger.

"Is everyone set?" Sino asked counting the heads. Everyone nodded and Areon, Kari and Dar started to head for the harbour. They waved good bye and slowly walked away knowing Sino would add something. "We will all meet together two weeks from now at Tojin near the gates of Singto Academy," Sino stated. Everyone nodded. Zatch's group which his friends made him the leader of walked for the south west side of the inside of the volcano. It was a blind spot in the capital.

"Are you sure the guards won't see us?" Dao asked nervously. Zatch didn't look back at Dao but kept his eyes foreward glancing everywhere making sure that the guards didn't walk by before they reached the blind spot. Usually the gates to the castle where highly guarded from dusk till dawn.

"They won't find us if you all stay quiet and follow me and Ara's lead," Zatch grumbled and kept moving in silence. They walked half way to the blind spot undetected but Zatch notice that the guards started to change their shifts making their pathway unpredictable. Zatch signalled everyone to slide across the wall so the guards wouldn't notice them out of their peripheral vision. Once Zatch knew the guards were back to their predictable pattern he moved everyone from the wall and found a lightly forested part so the trees could hide them for the time being. The rocky wall block Zatch's view from the sky and he looked over at the wall around the castle. He couldn't see it, which meant they couldn't see them.

"Come on, I need one earthbender on either side," Zatch told them. Dao and Lean nodded. Zatch, Rage, Ara and Sanara lined up very close to the wall while Lean went on one side of them and Dao on the other. They rotated their hands simultaneously and a piece of the earth carried them up the inside of the volcano. They reached the peak and started to slide down the other side of the volcano. A feeling of relaxation and accomplishment filled through the group. They had gotten away from the Fire Nation, well almost.


	13. Attributes

**Attributes**

The sun was setting before the group decided to stop and make a camp site for the night. Once Zatch gave the order everyone cheered, Dao and Rage fell to the ground out of exhaustion. The girls laughed silently at them. Zatch rolled his eyes and tossed the bag that held a tent onto Rage's stomach. Dao looked over and sat up.

"Why did you bring tents? You have two earthbenders here that could just bend some up," Dao stated as he stretch ready to go to bed. Lean seemed to be stretching the same way, but she looked more attractive doing it than Dao. Her chest rose up as her arms stretched backwards. Her back was curved to make her clothes fall on her to reveal her slenderness. As she ran her hands through her hair and bit her lip to stop the yawning Zatch became weak in the knees. "We should only have two tents," Dao stated trying to make Zatch stop staring at her sister in that way.

"What? Why?" Rage asked not liking the idea. Zatch was confused as well. With three people sharing one tent it would be very hard to get a comfortable amount of sleep. Dao was finished stretching and got back up.

"We're six teenagers alone together, no offence but I don't trust anyone to sleep by themselves." Dao said. Rage rolled his eyes and the girls seemed to by outraged by this remark.

"So you think if two people are left alone at night that there bound to have sex," Lean stated angrily.

"Well if it were the right two people," Dao said smugly. Lean threw her arms into the air and had a frustrated expression on her face.

"I can't believe you, how could you even…"

"I agree with Dao," Zatch stated interrupting Lean. He remembered how strong his urges became and didn't want anything to happen too quickly. It wasn't a choice he made for his sake but for Lean's sake. Lean looked at him astonished and no words would help her understand his decision yet. "Dao get the tents ready…and make sure there fairly large. At least this way it is much quicker to pack if we're in a hurry," Zatch told them hoping Lean would think it was for that reason he chose to follow Dao's decision.

"We should have someone keep watch for part of the night, just in case they've started to look for us," Dao suggested. Zatch didn't realize that Dao was that informative of what to do in one of these situations. For now on Zatch would go to Dao for advice on what to do to get out of the Fire Nation unscathed.

"I'll go first," Zatch volunteered. He didn't mind staying up later than other but he could never be able to wake in the middle of the night and keep a diligent eye on their surroundings.

"I'll go next," Sanara said. The others nodded. "We should have one more person afterwards," Sanara suggested.

"Okay, I'll go last," Dao stated.

"No," Zatch stated. Everyone turned and looked at him oddly. "I don't trust you two alone," Zatch admitted. They looked at him angrily. Even Dao had the glare as if surprised that Zatch would say something like that. "Rage is on afterwards. Than it will be Lean, Dao than Ara the next day. Will alternate every other day so we can all have the same amount of sleep," Zatch said. Their faces went back to normal and they all nodded. The earth rumbled and suddenly a large tent rose from the ground on the right side of Zatch, than another on the left side of him.

"There are you're tents," Lean said and started to walk into the denser parts of the forest which they set there site in. "I'm going to get fire wood…alone," she stated before she disappeared. Zatch started to walk after her confused and worried for he didn't want anyone to be left alone. Before he got far Sanara stopped him.

"I'll talk to her," she stated and walked into the forest. Rage sat down on a near-by log. He raised a flask that seemed to be filled with water.

"Congratulations Zatch. I think you just got into you're first fight," Rage laughed and drank from the flask. Zatch heart started to beat faster with guilt, fear and confusion.

"But I don't know what I did wrong," Zatch whined confused and his voice shook with fear. Rage laughed again.

"They never do," he told Zatch and drank from his flask yet again. Zatch was filled with anger now and was tempted to hit the can out of Rage's hand.

* * *

The warm air emitting from the dim fire made it seem like the warmth and coziness of Zatch's bed. His eyes became heavy and he couldn't focus them anymore. Thoughts of someone sneaking up on him drifted away as well as the memories of that evening when Lean had finally returned but gave Zatch the silent treatment. Nothing seemed to matter in his half-conscious mind and sleep grabbed a hold on him. Before he seemed to get a minute's amount of sleep he felt someone gentle shaking him. He woke up and opened one eye scanning the area. Everything seemed in tact so he had no idea why someone would wake him. He looked up and saw Lean rubbing his shoulder.

"You feel asleep," Lean stated. Zatch stretched and rubbed his eyes hoping that would prevent him from dozing off again. He moved back a bit resting his back on the log behind him. "What do you think you were doing?" Lean asked in a slightly motherly tone. Zatch shrugged was his answer as he did when he was a child.

"I wasn't, that's why I fell asleep," Zatch told her. She smiled at him with the same loving look she had always given him. There seemed to be no anger left in her. She sat down beside him. Her back was against his chest and her head rested on his shoulder.

"I know why you agreed with Dao," she stated. Zatch nodded his head slowly; truly he was too tired to care but he listened to Lean. "It's not that you don't trust us…you don't trust yourself," Lean said. That comment woke Zatch up and his heart started to race. "I know you're strong enough. I want you to have more self-confidence in yourself," she mumbled his warmth slowly but surly lulled her to sleep. She pecked his neck and moved her lips to his ear as they both started to fall a sleep in each others arms. "I know you're strong. That's why I fell in love with you," she said and slipped away into sleep.

"I'm not as strong as you think…" Zatch paused when he noticed Lean was asleep. He smiled and brushed the hair away from her face. He watched her chest rise up and down slower every second. Her eyes were firmly shut. "Goodnight Lean," Zatch whispered and kissed her forehead. He ran his hand through her hair over and over to pass the time. "I love you," he told her as he saw Sanara walk out of the tent with the door open. It had been open the whole time Lean and him were talking just in case the other girls needed out.

"You going back to your tent?" Sanara asked she looked at Zatch holding on to a sleeping Lean. He shook his head and pushed her hair away from her face yet again. Lean was very attractive; she had looks that Zatch fell in love with. He loved the way her brown hair shimmered with a golden lining in the light of the fire. He loved the way her slightly pale complexion complemented her eyes. Her hands were delicate and yet strong. Her eyes shimmered all on their own making everything else seem dull. She always bit her lip even doing the simplest of tasks. Her body curved so perfectly, and her neck was firm and slender. She had other physical attributes to her that he didn't want to decipher just yet as she laid on him. She turned slightly. Her soft chest rested on his. His face turned red than he looked back at Sanara.

"I think I'll just sleep out here to night," he told her. Smiled and nodded than sat on a rock on the other side of the fire. Zatch closed his eyes but his thoughts of Lean wouldn't stop preventing him to sleep for a while. He didn't want to fall asleep on the physical features that he loved, anyone would love those but he focused more on her personality. She was carefree and joyful for the most part. Her heart was soft and she cared for everybody but Zatch seemed to notice that she wore a shield to protect her tender heart. Everyone knew the Lean that was in a shielded protected state. Zatch was the only one who had cracked t and seen her for who she is and will be. He as seen her heart naked and he has seen how it bleeds out for him. She liked to be quiet and reserved but Zatch had made her speak as loud as she could. He knows her inside and out but still she is a mystery that he will never be able to decipher but yet loves every moment of her even as she sleeps on him. He loved everything about her and yet knew very little of her racing mind and how it truly thought and put every piece together. He loved her and fell asleep as her warmth soothed his mind and blocked him from thinking anymore.


	14. Morning

**Morning**

Rage sat there smiling at his sleeping friends. The sun was barely seeping past the top of the trees and morning hadn't arrived yet. Rage heard a yawn from the inside of the open earth tent. He hoped it was Ara who was waking but his hopes vanished when Sanara came out with a tired smile on her face. She stretched a bit than tried to pat her hair down after an unsettling sleep. She looked over past Rage and saw Lean still asleep on top of Zatch.

"Those two are quite the heavy sleepers," Sanara commented. Rage nodded and picked up a twig that was unscathed by the fire and started to play with the ashes. He had been awake for hours and found himself quite bored.

"I don't see why people camp. I'm so stiff now," Ara's voice whined from behind them. Rage was filled with joy and turned around too quickly to see Ara that he fell off the stone he had sat upon for hours. Ara started to laugh at Rage's clumsiness. Rage sat up rubbing his head laughing slightly to cover up the pain.

"Well princess, at least you got an interrupted amount of sleep," Rage stated. He stood up and cleaned the dust off of his shirt. Ara laughed again and tousled Rage's coal black hair. She looked down and saw Zatch and Lean asleep in each others arms. "Do you think we should wake them before Dao wakes?" Rage asked the girls. They looked at each other a moment than nodded.

"Zatch seems like such a hypocrite right now," Ara stated with a hint of anger in her voice but didn't seem to do anything to wake them. None of them seemed to want to ruin the precious moment between the two kids.

"Well they are the youngest out of all of us," Sanara acknowledged. "Plus if I thought they were getting too intimate I would have sent them both back to their tents," Sanara told them. Ara rolled her eyes and walked back into the tent and lay down on her thin sleeping bag. Rage walked up to the sleeping teenagers with the twig held firmly in his hand. "What do you think you're doing?" Sanara inquired.

"I'm going to wake up the two young lovers," he stated and started to push the twig into Lean's back. It had barely touched her before she batted it away breaking the twig. She than rolled on her back and sat up looking at them half-conscious. She rubbed her eyes and stretched out her arms before saying anything.

"Where am I?" she asked them oblivious to her surroundings which seemed so unfamiliar to her. Sanara and Rage looked at each other confused by the unexpected question. Lean looked down and saw Zatch still sleeping; his back was still against the log. She finally remembered what happened last night but she looked down at her feet and saw a blanket wrapped around her and Zatch. Lean didn't remember having that before she fell asleep. "Did you do this?" Lean tiredly asked Sanara.

"You two looked cold…well at least you did, I'm not sure if Zatch was though," Sanara informed her. "If you're wondering why we waked you it is because Dao might wake up any moment and we didn't want him to see you asleep in Zatch's arms," Sanara declared. Lean looked at her somewhat bemused. "You might be too young to understand but…"

"Too young to understand? Sanara, I'm not a child. I'm sixteen; I know a lot more than you assume I would. To even presume I'm an innocent mind that doesn't understand the reality of the world is lacking judgment. To get off talking down to me is intolerable for you are only seventeen and I won't even take this shit from my brother," Lean disputed.

"I still have more experience on this subject and won't…"

"Is that to suggest you're not a virgin anymore?" Lean interrupted. "Please do tell who you got more experiences with?" Lean requested. Sanara stood there shocked that Lean could have interpreted that from what she said. Lean was well informed and had a much more mature mind than Sanara had when she was sixteen. Sanara must have underestimated the mind of a teenage Earth Kingdom girl. She was now stuck in a corner and had to tell Lean, Rage and anyone else who was eavesdropping.

"It was with Dao, which means he knows when it looks like it happened so I…"

"Well if he knows what the after math looks like than I have nothing to be afraid of, plus he doesn't wake till noon on most circumstances, which now I think you knew, so I had several hours till he wakes," Lean stated interrupting Sanara yet again.

"Well you seem to be taking me sleeping with your brother quite easily but are agitated about me waking you early," Sanara pointed out. Lean put a large smile on her face.

"I really don't like to be waked, plus I had a feeling you and Dao already did it, there's this thing I have for picking out information I myself don't want to know. So it truly is fine by me if you are involved in a sexual relationship with my brother, that's probably why he suggested two tents in the first place, so no one else will be distracted by it. He's not as strict as you would think so you don't have to worry about me," Lean stated comfortingly. Zatch started to move unsettlingly. Lean slid her hand through his hair. "Did you catch any of that?" Lean asked him.

"All I heard was 'sexual relationship with my brother'," Zatch garbled. Lean laughed and kissed him on the forehead. He smiled and seemed to go back to sleep. Lean looked up to see that Rage had already walked away to find something else to do and Sanara walked back into the earth tent. Lean brushed back Zatch's hair again and confirmed that he was asleep.

"Two young lovers," Lean mumbled to herself. "To all of them we are the young lovers," she whispered to Zatch as she went back to lay on him. His chest rose up and down as he calmly breathed. His black hair was defiantly too short to put up in a ponytail that all Fire Nation males had. His white stripe that raced through the blackness would make him easy to decipher from other Fire Nation boys. His ember yellow eyes were hidden under his eyelids. His neck was strong and strapping which Lean rested her head on. His shoulders were broad which nicely meshed together with the muscles on his arms. As Lean brushed her hand past his stomach she felt the firmness of his abdomen and could tell he put hours into his training and was a very powerful man. He was a very striking man. He was tough and rugged yet had a gentle sense in his body. Lean loved the large ears that Zatch had but yet Zatch didn't listen with as much diligence as one would suspect.

"Two young lovers who have never loved," Zatch muttered more asleep than awake. Lean was surprised that he was even the slightest bit awake. Before long it seemed he was asleep once more. Zatch seemed to always know what to say at the perfect time to make Lean fall even more in love with him that she can barely comprehend the burning emotion any more. His personality seemed even more attractive than his looks. He was funny most of the time but always had a hint of seriousness in his mind. He was amazingly smart but he would always make it seem that Lean was more intelligent than him. He knew how to make her feel good about herself. He knew when to say words of comfort her when she needed them the most. He knew how to protect her. He was sensitive but stood his ground when he needed to. He knew how to be himself in a world of people who acted the same, but that part of his personality blossomed after Lean came into his life which must have meant Lean had taught him how to be him. Even as he slept he made Lean feel better about herself and made her fall more in love with him until out of her dozy eyes she saw Dao walk up with a disapproving face.


	15. Armadais

**Armadais**

They had travelled through densely cover forests, treed through rivers and ponds and walked through grassy fields and valleys but now they were in one of the poorest and sketchiest place in the Fire Nation. Zatch said he knew a person here that would get them across the ocean. Strange looking birds stared at Lean as she walked by the dingy pet shop and followed Zatch and the others into a shadow alley were many unwelcoming men stood.

"I'm looking for Hitoshirezu," Zatch told the men. They nodded and pointed farther into the ally. Zatch made Lean and the others go in front of him to insure that the men wouldn't try to rob them. In the distance a faded candle light a small section of the ally and a shadowy figure stood on the outskirts of the light.

"So you're Commander Zatch? I assumed you would be older," the man's rough voice said. Zatch stood there with an emotionless face while the others looked back and forth from Zatch to the older man. "What brings you all the way put here?" he asked with a devilish grin on.

"I need to get to the Earth Kingdom," Zatch stated. The man sat there thinking about it for a moment.

"Why?" he asked in a rough voice with a hint of smugness to it as if he knew the answer.

"We are evading the law, there are six of us," Zatch said. Hitoshirezu cackled at Zatch's response and walked over to a door unlocking it.

"Well I guess my air bison will do…the landing city is in Sakuran territory, not to wise for a Wing-Fang to be wandering around there," he told Zatch as he let them all in his tiny apartment. Zatch and Lean looked at him confused. Hitoshirezu was about to explain to Zatch when his eyes landed on Lean's astonished face. A wide grin appeared on his face. "Not wise Mr. Wing-Fang, you don't know what kind of trouble you put this girl into," He stated as he sat down at his desk.

"How did you know?" Zatch asked demanding an answer.

"Well the white stripe gives your identity off to anyone who knows what a Wing-Fang is. I am old and know many things. If you don't want to get caught I suggest wearing a hat that will cover all of the white," Hitoshirezu suggested. Zatch nodded and looked at the others who had confused faces on. Zatch ignored them and went back to Hitoshirezu.

"When will the bison be ready?" Zatch asked impatiently. Hitoshirezu sat there a moment thinking.

"If it is truly urgent it will be about an hour," he told Zatch. Zatch nodded and escorted his friends out of the dark ally.

* * *

It had been a few hours since the bison landed in the Earth Kingdom. Zatch was now wearing a small hat that tilted on the side covering his white stripe and black hair was sticking out on the other side of the hat. They had been cautiously walking in a forest remembering Hitoshirezu's warning. Every now and than Lean would hear rustling in the bushes but the sounds couldn't be loud enough to be human. Suddenly five men jumped down from the tree tops. Lean had underestimated their quietness.

"Where are you all heading?" he asked them casually but with a hint of caution in his voice.

"Ba Sing Se," Zatch replied. The man who had asked the question started to examine them. He was obviously the leader of that small group. His eyes fell on Rage and examined him a little better than Lean or Dao. He shook his head and went on the Sanara and Ara. His eyes fell on Zatch and stared into Zatch's eyes than looked up at the hat.

"Take off the hat," the man ordered Zatch. Zatch stood there frozen not knowing what to do. Lean was ready to fight them off at any moment if they discovered who Zatch was. Zatch disobediently shook his head. "Boy I said take off the hat," the man commanded him again and reached for Zatch's hat. Zatch pushed him to the ground refusing to take of the hat. He got up ready to punch Zatch in the face when a large pebble hit him in the temple. He fell to the ground unconscious. Another man walked over a picked up the pebble.

"It has the flying Boar on it," he stated and ran away frightened. The others followed leaving there unconscious leader to who ever had hit him. A boy jumped out of near by tree and ran up to the confused group of teenagers.

"When they say take off your hat, you should really listen to him," the boy laughed as he walked up to Zatch. Zatch smiled and nodded. The boy extended his hand out to them. "By the way, my name is Armadais, I'm a Bei-Fong," he stated. Zatch shook his hand with a smile on his face.

"My name is Zatch," he told the boy than pulled off his hat. "… and I'm a Wing-Fang," he stated. Armadais looked at him shocked and took a few steps back. He seemed very confused. Zatch put a hand on his shoulder. "We need to escort the Fire Princess to Tojin, do you have any means of transportation that you could lend us?"

"Why are you going to Tojin? The Fire Nation is in no trouble," Armadais pointed out. Zatch glanced over at Lean for some support than back at the boy.

"The princess has gone against her father's wises so we are helping her to hide while things blow over," Zatch explained. Armadais's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Sweet! I'm helping fugitives of the Fire Nation and one is a surviving Wing-Fang! Wait 'till Daifu hears about this!" he exclaimed almost running back into the forest from where he came. Zatch pulled him back.

"No, you can't tell anyone of this. We just need six ostrich horses," Zatch told the boy hoping he would understand. Armadais was disappointed.

"But if my father heard of me helping a Wing-Fang he would name me the true Bei-Fong," Armadais whined.

"Names don't make the person," Zatch told him calmly to comfort him. "…the person makes the name," Zatch added. Armadais nodded and showed them to a large wall. He jumped over it using earthbending and landed on the top of the wall.

"I'll get the ostrich horses but there is only five I can give up for right now," the boy talkedown to them. "Wait outside the front gates. There will a stampede, catch them as fast as you can," he told the group. They nodded and walked to the giant golden door with a winged boar carved into it.

"Who's pairing up?" Zatch asked the group. Everyone shrugged not wanting to share an animal. Zatch rolled his eyes. "How about me and Lean?" he suggested to the group. They nodded happily, even Dao agreed.

"Now!" they heard Armadais yell from inside the walls and the gates opened up sending five ostrich horses stumbling out. The group bolted at them running as fast as they could. Zatch quickly caught up to one and expertly jumped on. He slowed the animal down and suddenly Lean jumped on wrapping her arms around his waist. Zatch looked to see Dao looking at them angrily than suddenly disappeared when an ostrich horse shot by. He was now on an animal and led it over to Zatch and Lean as the slowly walked farther into the forest.

"Damn it!" They heard Rage yell as he jumped onto a horse and it started to thrust around sending him flying into a tree. Sanara ran up to the raging animal but was loosing stamina quickly. She pulled water out of her pouch and shot it through the air. It froze and she slid on the floating ice landing on the ostrich horses back. After a few moments of struggling the animal calmed down. A loud unearthly sound echoed through the forest behind them. Lean held Zatch tightly frightened by the loud threatening noise. "What was that?" Rage asked frightened as he jumped up still trying to catch a horse.

"Shit! They have guns!" Zatch yelled to the group. Rage was now on his horse ready to gallop away. Ara was still on the ground struggling to catch the horse. She tried a few times but was unsuccessful. Rage turned back and lifted her up onto his horse. He started to lead the friends on a run through the forest in hopes of evading the armed men. Ara was crying with pain into the back of Rage's shoulder. Zatch looked down and saw a crimson liquid pouring out of her leg. "Rage, Ara got shot!" he yelled at Rage as the wind carried his breath away.

"What?" Rage yelled and frantically looked at Ara. She was crying harder and louder. The blood trickled off her leg leaving a bloody trail on the ground. She squeezed onto Rage tighter as the pain became stronger. Rage slowed his ostrich horse down to try and help Ara.

"No Rage, we can't stop we have to keep going before they find us," Zatch said pushing Rage foreword. Rage looked at Zatch confused than at Ara concerned but reluctantly forced his horse to run again.

"It hurts!" Ara exclaimed through her sobbing. Zatch pulled his horse up near Rage's. he looked at Ara with comforting eyes.

"I know, but you're going to have to be strong," he told Ara. She looked up at him with tear filled eyes and nodded solemnly. He smiled at her comfortingly. "You are so brave. You will grow to be a great leader," he told her and than pulled his horse up to the front to lead the group.


	16. Wounds

**Wounds**

Night was making its way into the sky as the shadows became larger and darker. The group of friends had been riding the ostrich horses for several hours. Ara's crying had settled down to a quiet sob. The group had been silent for hours as they wandered through the Earth Kingdom grimly. Rage finely broke the heart-tearing silence.

"Can we make camp now?" he asked as his voice quivered. Zatch nodded and brought his ride to a halt, the others followed. Rage dismounted his ostrich horse and was about to help Ara down. Zatch dismounted as well and pushed Rage aside so he could examine Ara. Rage stood there frozen with anger. Zatch lifted the princess off the animal and turned to Rage.

"Tie up the horse, I'll take care of her," he told Rage. For a moment he hesitated than nodded and walked away with the animal. Sanara placed a blanket on the ground and Zatch laid Ara down on it. He gently and carefully took off Ara's bloody boot. He rolled up the stained pants so he could see the wound. Zatch was relieved it wasn't infected but it seemed very deep. "Lean I need you to see if there is a bullet in the wound," Zatch told Lean. She stood there confused a moment.

"But, I…" She started than Zatch started to glare at her with seriousness stopping her from arguing. She sat down beside Ara and rested her hands on Ara's leg. Lean concentrated as hard as she could to sense any sign of metal. Sadly she found the bullet wedge not too far into her leg. The bullet must have ricocheted off of something. Though that was good, there was still a bullet inside her and Lean knew she would have to pull it out. "There is," she told Zatch grimly. He nodded and looked at Ara.

"Ara this is going to hurt a lot. Lean is going to pull a bullet out of your leg. I need to hold you down so you don't move," Zatch explained slowly so the half-conscious Ara could understand. She nodded and wiped the tears off her face. Zatch told Lean the instructions but she was too weak to put her hand into a friends wound, she had a better idea. She leaned into Zatch to whisper her idea so now one else could hear.

"I'll metalbend it out," she suggested. Zatch nodded and positioned himself on top of Ara. Lean closed her eyes focusing on the small piece of metal lodged into Ara's leg. She could sense it moving as she commanded the metal to head for the opened wound. Ara started to cry out in pain and tried to resist Zatch and Lean from helping her. Rage came back into view with a shocked face on. He charged at them and tackled Zatch off of Ara. Rage started to punch him a few times. By that quick and sudden movement Lean clumsily pulled the bullet out leaving Ara with slightly less pain. Zatch finally pushed off his friend and pinned him to the ground.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Rage asked aggressively. He struggled to get free but Zatch was much more stronger than him. Lean could see the passion in Rage's eyes and he seemed very protective of Ara.

"We're just helping her Rage. You have to calm down… Sanara can you heal the wound as best you can, and hopefully she won't need stitches," Zatch told Sanara. She nodded and landed water on Ara's leg. The water started to glow as the healing process took place. Sanara sat there healing for a few minutes when her face was filled with disappointment.

"It's too deep, the wound will need to be stitched up," Sanara stated. Zatch nodded and stood up looking for something. As he walked away he gave Sanara the orders to freeze Ara's leg so she wouldn't feel the stitches taking place. Zatch reached for a leaf on a tree. He pulled the leaf apart and what was left of it was a thin, sharp needle like twig. He pulled a loose thread from his shirt and tied it to the impersonated needle.

"What are you doing?" Lean asked as Zatch lit a small, green flame on his thumb. He pressed it to the needle for a few moments and looked up at Lean with a smug smile on his face.

"I'm disinfecting the needle. What does it look like?" he stated smugly. He nudged Sanara out of the way and stuck the needle through Ara's skin. She didn't seem to feel pain and laid there letting Zatch tie the loose skin together. He neatly cleaned the remaining blood off her, tied up the thread at the end and ripped off the excess thread. He rested his hand on Ara's shoulder. "How does that feel?" he asked her soothingly. She wiped more tears from her face and put on a weak smile.

"Better," she told him and tried to stand up. Rage went to her side and gestured her to sit down again. She looked at him compassionately and he looked back at her with tears in his eyes. He kissed her on the check and went over to Zatch with a confused look on his face.

"How did you know how to do that?" Rage asked Zatch. Zatch froze for a moment remembering the horrid experience. Rage sat there a moment and thought of an answer for himself. "Remember when we went hunting and I accidentally shot you in the leg," Rage stated. Zatch started to laugh and nodded. Rage paused for a second. "…but you said that was your second time getting shot," Rage acknowledged. Zatch's smile faded away. "What happened?" he asked.

"I was twelve and I went on a voyage with my father to the fringes of the Earth Kingdom were the Fire Nation colonies use to occupy," Zatch started his story.

_Zatch stood there frozen as at least twenty large men circled around his father. He was hiding in a tree with another member of his father's crew. All they could do was watch in horror as the men came up one by one taking their blow on Zatch's father. After about the ninth hit he was sent falling to the ground. Some men seized him and put thick metal hand cuffs around his wrists. A tall man walked past the group looking down at a beaten Fire Nation general. He put his foot on his throat._

"_So we finally meet Roiyaru Wing-Fang," he laughed and kick into the man's throat. Roiyaru tumbled backwards and started to cough up blood. He was wheezing and was unable to speak. A young man handed the tall one a gun. It had two long barrels shooting out of the handle. He started to load it when he noticed there was no resistance from the beaten Roiyaru. He put the gun down for a moment. "Why aren't you fighting for your life?" he asked confused. Roiyaru looked up at him grimly._

"_If I go quietly and don't kill all of you, you must promise me to not hurt my son," Roiyaru stated. The man smiled and nodded placing the gun on his bloody forehead. _

"Are these guys from the Sakuran clan?" Lean asked concerned and confused. Zatch looked at her with sadden eyes. He shook his head.

"No, there are many people out to kill the Wing-Fangs, these were the Followers of Azula," he stated. Lean looked at him confused but Zatch didn't want to explain it to her.

_The man cocked his long gun and was ready to press down on the trigger. Roiyaru started to cry but didn't resist. He let the man shoot through his head and gave him the satisfaction of killing a Wing-Fang. The bullet somehow shot through his head and plunged into Zatch's shoulder. He was about to scream out of pain and terror but the soldier covered his mouth and pulled him back to the campsite. The man released Zatch and looked at him with sympathetic eyes._

"_You're hurt let me help you," he told Zatch. Zatch shook his head and pushed the man away. Tears blinded him and the pain shooting through his shoulder was unbearable. All Zatch wanted right now was for the memory of his father being cruelly killed to go away. He wanted his father by his side to comfort him and stop the pain. Without his father Zatch felt like he had no hope left in the world. After hours of insisting that the man should help Zatch he had given up. He told Zatch how to heal himself and said he would be back the next morning to check on him. Zatch didn't sleep that night or for a month actually. He had lost hope and taught himself to let go of his emotions. He shielded himself from any sort of pain until he met Lean. She broke him again and he felt emotions once again, emotions sometimes he couldn't control._

Zatch didn't tell his friends about him detaching himself from all emotion but he thought it and his eyes watered from the pain that life had brought him yet he also cried for all the good life had brought him. His emotions were mixed but he never felt more alive in his life. Lean moved herself closer to him and wrapped her arms around him for comfort. He held her chin and tilted her face towards him. He leaned in and started to kiss her passionately for reasons unexplained but said in his mind. They heard a loud noise coming from within the forest than suddenly an ostrich horse popped out with a boy perched on top of it.

"You guys missed a ostrich horse," Armadais stated with a large smile on his face. He wore a large back pack on his back filled with what seemed to be all the necessities and a rolled up tent was strapped onto the bag. "Just thought a person who knows this territory should escort you,"


	17. The Swamp part 1

**The Swamp (part 1)**

Zatch had decided it would be much easier to go through the lowlands than make the ostrich horses climb the mountains in the highlands. This meant that they would take a small curve on their path but than be able just to head straight until they made it to Tojin. He never expected there to be a large swamp that stretched for miles to block their path as well. The densely vegetated swamp made Zatch, Dao, and Rage guide the horses as they cut the vines out of the way. The water was deep. There was an eerie sense that filled the misty air.

"We should have headed for the highlands," Armadais stated once again. Night was falling faster than Zatch expected. He searched the land and found a large trunk of root floating above the land that could hold them all for the night. They had finally made a fire and Dao was struggling to pitch the tents Zatch had brought. Zatch placed a kettle on a stand that sat above the fire. He had a few lessons from his father on how to make tea. "I heard that there is a demon here that attacks any intruders that disturbed the swamp," Armadais stated in a ghostly voice. Rage's face went pale.

"Maybe you should have told us that before we cut down all those vines!" Rage yelled. Armadais winced at his voice and moved closer to Lean who wrapped her hand around him.

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew," Armadais retorted in a frightened voice. Zatch started to laugh quietly at Armadais childishness. Zatch slowly brewed the mixtures together in the boiling water as the others warmed up near the fire. Dao pulled a rope to the root which was attached to a piece of cloth that was his little tent. He had almost pinned it to the ground when a bird shrieked in the background sending him falling into the mucky swamp water. Everyone started to laugh.

"Need some help?" Sanara asked as she stood up. Dao shook his head irritated. He jumped back up onto the root and tried again. He pulled the cloth over a branch and before he could grab the ropes, Sanara was pinning the ropes to the tree. Dao looked at her confused as she started to pitch the next tent. She looked over her shoulder and saw him staring. "My dad taught me," she answered his question before he even asked it. Dao walked over to help her but really the whole time they were pitching the tents Sanara was giving him advice and instructions.

"Tea's finished," Zatch stated pouring the first drops into a small tea cup his mother forced him to bring. He handed it to Lean but she gave it to Armadais who was still wrapped in her arm. His eye brightened as he took a sip of the tea.

"This is amazing! What is it?" Armadais asked Zatch. Zatch smiled and tousled his hair.

"Its Fire Nation tea," Zatch laughed. Armadais looked at him confused. "It's ginseng with a little bit of honey. My father taught me how to make it," Zatch answered more clearly. Armadais smiled and drank more. Zatch handed the drink to everyone else.

"Are you sure a kid should have tea before bed?" Lean asked concerned after Armadais started to fidget uncontrollably. Zatch looked into Armadais's eyes and noticed he was too energetic. Zatch sat back down.

"Oops," Zatch said. Lean smiled and walked Armadais to his own tent. Zatch put out the fire and sent the others to bed. He suspected no one needed to keep watch in an unpopulated swamp. He went to his tent which was his own. No one else bunked with him that night. It felt lonely but comfortable. His eyes finally fell shut and he went to sleep.

* * *

He felt someone shaking him and urging him to wake up. He opened his eyes to see Armadais looking over him. Zatch rolled his eyes and pulled his blanket over his face. Armadais shook him harder and urged him to wake up loudly. Zatch rolled over and sat up staring at Armadais annoyed.

"I miss my parents," Armadais told him. Zatch's annoyance went away and he got up. He led Armadais to the burnt out fire. Zatch lit it and at first it was green but slowly faded to red. Armadais sat there nervously tapping his feet and fiddling his fingers. "I don't know what I was thinking following you, I'm only ten, I…I want to go home," he said as his voice quivered. His eyes started to water. Zatch sat down beside him and wrapped his arm around him for comfort. "Can you wake Lean?" Armadais asked Zatch. Zatch looked at him slightly confused.

"Her brother would kill me if he saw me going into her tent he would have my head," Zatch laughed. Armadais looked at him confused. "You can wake her if you want," he told Armadais. He shook his head and wiped his tears away.

"Do you miss your parents?" Armadais asked looking for comfort. Zatch's heart sank for a moment remembering his father.

"Yes," he told Armadais. He smiled feeling reassured and not like a frightened child. He hugged Zatch and went back to bed. Zatch sat there for a few minutes before he went back to his tent.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky and the group was planning to leave in a few hours. Everyone had left to find food, either fruits or animals. This left Zatch and Lean to clean up the campsite. They had been finished for a few minutes and were now waiting for the others to get back. Zatch was lying on the trunk they had made there home for a day. Lean walked over and sat next to him. She brushed the hair from his face. Zatch sat up and smiled at her. They both leaned in to kiss one another.

"Hey!" Armadais's voice boomed before the too kissed each other. Zatch was so surprised by the noise that he jumped back and slipped off the rock. He boiled the water off of him and stared at Armadais angrily. Armadais started to run away and Zatch bolted after him. Lean was just watching the two laughing. Zatch pounced on Armadais and they both were set to the water. They were out of view of the campsite. Armadais got free and started to run farther into the swamp.

"Hey don't go so far!" Zatch yelled at him and started to follow him. They came upon a clearing where the sunlight seeped in the water. Zatch was confused as he saw a familiar figure glowing in the sun light. He noticed who it was once the figure changed into colour. The white stripe raced through it hair. "Dad?" he said to himself but Armadais looked up at him confused.

"There's no one there," Armadais stated. Zatch paid no attention to him and started to walk closer to the man. He started to turn and his Fire Nation clothes changed into Earth Kingdom attire. The white stripe faded away into the jet black hair and he became taller and slightly thinner. This new person looked a lot like Zatch. His eyes filled with the same determine Fire Nation colour. He even looked Zatch's age. The only thing that set the two apart was the slight height difference and he had no white stripe. Zatch was in a trance and walked closer to the familiar boy. He reached out to touch him when he heard an ungodly voice.

"He is part of you. He is just an illusion though," the voice stated. The others boy's face was filled with excitement and shock. He started to reach out to Zatch but pulled his hand away and looked around hearing the voice as well.

"Who is he?" Zatch asked the unknown voice. The boy's face was fixed into Zatch's eyes and his eyes were filed with the sense of amazement. Its faded image touched Zatch's face with a smile on his face. His eyes watered as he touched Zatch but Zatch couldn't feel anything. "Who is he?" Zatch asked again after getting no response.

"Dad?" the boy said than everything went black.


	18. The Swamp part 2

**The Swamp (part 2)**

Zatch had fallen unconscious after a rock from the air hit him. Lean had just caught up to her friends when she saw Zatch fall. She quickly grabbed Armadais's wrist and dragged him away as more rocks fell from the sky. The raced to the campsite when Lean notice they had forgotten Zatch. She ran back to the clearing to see all the rocks gathered up and formed a wolf-like sculpture. It stood over Zatch who was now coming back. The rough edges smoothed up and made the rocks one whole statue. It seemed to have noticed Lean and charged at her. Suddenly its left foreleg was cut off by a slice of water. Sanara jumped infront of Lean ready to fight. Lean was ready to. Zatch stood there confused for a moment frantically looking around for something but he seemed unsuccessful.

"Hey kid!" Zatch yelled out. Lean was confused and so was the rock demon. "Where are you!?" he asked the air. The stone tail thwacked Zatch in the back of the head sending him flying into a tree and falling unconscious into the water. The wolf grew back its leg from near by rocks and turned to Lean and Sanara. Sanara gestured Lean to protect Zatch. Lean nodded and ran to Zatch's side. The wolf pounced forward after a loud howl and sent it and Sanara into the trees.

Sanara landed on her back in the middle of a shadowy place. There was no wolf-like rock creature chasing after her anymore. She stood up a little hurt from the short battle. She looked around at first and saw nothing but than she saw someone perched on one of the trees. She wore orange clothes and light blue tattoos raced up her bare arms. She was curled up in a ball and was playing with a butterfly which just so happened to live in the forest. Sanara noticed the picture of the girl was fuzzy and a little transparent. It didn't look real.

"Hello," the uplifting voice of the girl said. Sanara waved with a confused expression on her face. The girl gracefully floated down to Sanara's level. He extended a hand out to Sanara with a smile on her face. "My name is Ali, what is yours," she stated. Sanara went to shake her hand but her hand went through most of her arm she quickly pulled away a bit frightened. Ali looked at her hand confused. "Odd…you must be a spirit I've heard so much about," Ali said happily.

"I am not a spirit," Sanara imposed. Ali stood there with a smug yet faded smile on. She jumped up o the lowest branch she could find. "And stop doing that," Sanara commanded. Ali looked at her confused and jumped back to her pointing at her arrows. "…oh you're a Air Nomad…carry on than," Sanara said. "It's just that you look like a spirit to me," she stated.

"You look familiar…what's your name?" Ali inquired. Sanara was speechless for a moment and she didn't know why. She felt as if she was giving her name up to an unknown spirit. Ali sat there with a smile and comforting eyes.

"My name is Sanara," she told Ali. Her face was filled with shock and horror after the name spilled out of Sanara's mouth. Ali took a few steps back. "What?" Sanara asked confused.

"You're dead," Ali stated grimly. Sanara was petrified by those words. She didn't know how she died and how Ali knew this. She started to panic on the inside but didn't move at all on the outside. Ali tried to place a hand on Sanara to comfort her.

"The wolf must have killed me," Sanara stated bleakly. Ali looked at her confused.

"It was no wolf that was involved in your death it was…" Ali paused for a moment shocked. "Time is an illusion. Sometimes in the swamp you can see things from the past or future…I'm looking into the past," Ali stated. A smile went back on her face. "For you I am in the future, for me you are in the past," Ali stated. "Well I guess he was right about the swamp," Ali stated.

"Who was right?" Sanara asked confused.

"I can't say…it might alter destiny, all I can tell you is you will never see him. He is a name that makes people shiver from him past but now he's good, now he's my friend," Ali stated. She turned her head a bit after hearing a noise. She smiled at Sanara again. "Nice to meet a great friends mother," she stated and vanished.

* * *

Dao walked through the swamp with a pile of wood he gathered. An eerie mist suddenly covered him. He walked over to a straight line of trees that marked his way to the campsite. He rested his hand on one of the branches. A vine landed on him but it was very odd. It seemed to have a pulse. Dao was about to pull it off when it wrapped around his arm. He started to panic and thrust his arm around. Suddenly it tightened and he couldn't move anymore. Without warning the vine pulled him deeper into the mist. When Dao got up he saw a giant creature made out of the pulsing vines. It was still dragging him in. than it stopped when he was fifteen feet away from the creature.

"What do you want you demon!?" Dao yelled seemingly not afraid off the monster. All it did was point him out of the mist. He looked at the sunlight seeping through confused. He looked back at the creature. "There's nothing there," Dao stated. The monster shook its head and the vines sunk into the ground. They moved under the water and landed under Dao. The shot out of the water and engulfed Dao in a frenzy of vines. They pushed him into the sunny spot of the swamp. He landed and saw a woman just a bit older than him sitting on a trunk, using a stick to play with a fire. She looked like mixture between Sanara and Lean.

"Hello," Dao said to the faded character. She looked up and pushed the chestnut brown hair out of her face showing her ocean blue eyes. She wore an engagement necklace from the Northern Water Tribe proudly around her neck. All together she looked beautiful. She looked around confused as if seeing nothing than went back to playing with the fire. "My name is Dao," he stated. The girl's head shot up and looked around frantically.

"Where are you?" she asked confused and bewildered. Dao sat down beside her and rested his hand on her shoulder she seemed to feel it. "You should leave," the girl stated urgently. Dao became confused.

"Why?" Dao asked.

"We mustn't talk to each other…I'm sorry…you have to go," she stated again with more sadness and urgency in her voice. "Good bye," she said firmly, her eyes beading into Dao's. He looked at her confused. He went to touch her and when he did she started to cry. "I can't see you, all I can hear is your voice," she cried. "I want you to stay but you must go," she repeated herself. Dao did what she said and left.

"Good bye," Dao said back to the girl. She started to cry harder unable to hold back the tears. It seemed all too painful for her. Dao left feeling depressed. Suddenly a wooden club hit him in the back of the head and he fell, face first into the water unconscious.


	19. The Swamp part 3

**The Swamp (part 3)**

Dao woke up to find himself sitting on a wooden dock. He rose up frantically after remembering what happened to him but fell back down because he was tied up with some odd looking rope. He looked up again after struggling for a moment. He saw a young woman sitting on her heels staring at him with intrigued eyes. Dao rolled onto his back and sat up.

"Hello," the girl said in an odd accent. Dao slammed his head against the dock in frustration.

"Oh spirits, it's another hallucination," Dao whined and looked away from the girl.

"Hell no, I ain't no hallucination! My name's Kury, I heard you're friends with Rage and princess Ara. Come follow me, we've been wanting to find ya'll for a while,' the girl stated. Dao looked at her than at himself as he was tied up in ropes.

"Why did you knock me unconscious and tie me up?" Dao asked frustrated. Kury started to laugh. She put a hand on Dao's back.

"Cause I needed the practice. Plus you wouldn't have come with me if you just attacked by uncle Earl now would ya?" Kury laughed. She untied Dao a led him through a path way which must have been made by man. They walked through a cover of bushes to a group of people sitting near a fire. Ara was wrapped in Rage's arms as the sat on the other side of the fire. "Well here you go princess, here's the earthbender you were looking for," Kury stated and sat down next to a much older man. Ara looked at her confused.

"I said two earthbenders, a boy and a girl," Ara stated. Armadais came out of the bushes yelling at some thin, tan men.

"No, you can't take them, they're our means of transportation," Armadais stated. Dao looked at him confused but than saw more men come out with the ostrich horses they had been riding. "We need to go back," Armadais started but than Kury covered his mouth.

"Shh, you should talk when the elder examines our food," Kury stated and seated him next to Dao. A large old man came out with red paint covering his face. He looked at the five horses carefully. He nodded and gestured the men away. Armadais stood up ready to protect the horses. The elder stared at him. Kury quickly pulled him down before a whip of water hit him. The man walked up to Armadais staring him in the eye.

"Are you one that had a vision?" he asked Armadais. Armadais looked at him confused than shook his head. The man nodded and looked over at Dao. "You were the one who was attacked by Earl aren't you?" the man stated. Dao swallowed and nodded.

"Who was the girl?" Dao asked the man. The man looked at him confused. "I saw a girl. She looked like she was from the Northern Water Tribe. Who was she?" Dao asked the man again. He shook his head.

"You must have seen a vision," the elder stated. "Keep her image in mind, it might be very vital to you," he added. Dao nodded. Sanara ran through the bushes too but no one was following her or leading her to this place, she just found it.

"Oh," she sighed looking around the area. "this must be where the Air Nomad lives," she stated. the elder walked up to her examining her.

"Maybe young sir, this is the girl you saw…and there are no Air Nomads in these swamps…must be a vision," the elder stated. Sanara looked at him confused and slightly horrified. Dao shook his head.

"it wasn't her, it was someone else. She started to cry when she heard my name, like she missed me. She said she wasn't aloud to talk to me, so I left," Dao told the elder. He looked at Dao confused and pondering the thought.

"The Air Nomad told me she was from the future!" Sanara exclaimed. The elder nodded and walked away. Dao looked at Kury for an answer. She didn't reply. Sanara was still in her state of thought. "Who is HE? Why does his name make people shiver from his past?" Sanara asked herself.

"Well that's because he is probably death," an old feminine voiced said from behind them. Kury and the other swamp dwellers stood up and bowed. Sanara turned around to see an aged Earth Kingdom woman behind her. She put a smug face on.

"Ah, but it is from his past," Sanara stated. "He is no longer that person, so how could death not be anymore?' Sanara added. The woman smiled with wrinkles denting her face.

"They make a deal with the Avatar," she stated. "You are quite the smart girl aren't you? What's you name?" the woman asked extending her hand.

"I'm Sanara, and you are?" Sanara said as she shook the woman's hand.

"Saria,' she stated. The group of friends looked at each other amazed. They were standing in the mist of an Avatar. They started to bow to her. She told them not to and than put her hands on Sanara's shoulders. "Sorry about attacking you and your friends earlier…I was that big stone wolf. I hope I didn't hurt you; you were quite the opponent too. Who was that girl that was fighting with you? She seemed quite powerful too, and that boy who was stupid enough to run around looking for a vision? I hope he's fine now…I hit him pretty hard in the head…where are those too?' she rambled not finishing a complete thought as she spoke.

"I don't know. I just left them there…oh I hope Zatch and Lean are okay," Sanara stated. Dao stood in front of the Avatar now.

"You attacked my sister," he asked the Avatar offensively. "I swear if there is a scratch on her or Sanara your little Avatar life will end very quickly," Dao threatened her. Seria started to laugh.

"You are very protective. Don't worry those two aren't hurt, the one you should worry about is that Fire Nation character though," Seria stated. Kury stood up and bowed as Seria gestured her over. She walked up beside Dao. "Guide this young boy to where I waterbend with you," she stated. Kury nodded, grabbed Dao's hand and pulled him into the bushes. Sanara had a hint of jealousy fly over her and she turned her head at Dao.

* * *

"Wake up!" she yelled shaking Zatch as they lay on the swamp floor. Lean was becoming frightened as creature's eyes stared at her from the trees and the murky water. She heard twigs snap and the creatures came closer around her. They were monkey like creatures with earthy brown fur, sharp teeth and reddish eyes. Lean held onto Zatch as some started to pounce at them. She opened her eyes when she noticed nothing happened. She looked up to see the monkeys fleeing. Some still tried to charge at the but were batted away by someone who looked like Zatch. Some started to corner in on them and he blasted green fire at the sending the fleeing farther into the swamp. He looked at Lean with a smile on his face.

"All animals fear fire. That's why it is always good to have a firebender handy," he stated. Lean laughed at the statement than realized even thought there was a great similarity to him and Zatch it was not Zatch. This boy didn't have a white stripe in his hair. The boy looked at the limp body concerned. "I hope he's okay," the boy stated. Lea kept staring at him confused. Why did he look so much like Zatch? Why did he protect them? Why could he use green firebending? Why was he in this swamp? While all these thoughts raced through her mind the boy extended his hand out to her. She grabbed his and he pulled her up to her feet.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked the boy he smiled at her with a comforting face but a hint of sadness was in his eyes.

"My father always said to help everyone, them being a girl is just a bonus," he stated. She started to laugh again. He started to examine her for any wounds. She seemed fine and the boy seemed satisfied with that. He started to gaze back into her eyes. "You look beautiful," he told her. She was flattered but didn't want the boy to take it the wrong way.

"Thanks but I…" Lean started but than the boy started to hug her. For some reason she hugged back. He felt like he was missing her for the longest time and she just needed to be comforted. "What's your name?" she asked him. He still held onto her and seemed to be quivering as if he was cold or frightened or excited. He reluctantly pulled himself away and looked into her eyes again.

"What ever you want it to be," he stated and started to hug her again. Lean sat there thinking about it for a moment.

"I'll call you Sparky because you're a firebender," Lean stated. The boy shook his head.

"The person I love use to call me that but now she's gone, it's been four years since I heard say that to me, so it hurts whenever I hear it," the boy explained. Lean looked at him amazed. He looked no older than her but yet he has loved and lost four years ago. Lean started to hug him even more.

"If you like a good Fire Nation name call him Ignite," Zatch stated standing beside the two of them. The boy smiled pulling himself away from Lean and started to hug Zatch before she could.

"But that name seems a bit aggressive," Lean stated. Zatch tried to push the boy away when he started to speak.

"Than give it a nickname," Zatch suggested. Lean thought about it for a moment.

"He's name will be Iggy for me than," Lean stated. The boy laughed and pulled himself away from Zatch. "So what do you think? Do you mind if a call you Iggy?"

"Not at all mo…Le…Miss," the boy said almost spilling his identity. Lean laughed and hugged him. Zatch looked at him confused but waited till Lean was finished hugging him before he asked the question.

"Why did you call me dad?" Zatch asked the boy. His face went pale and he took a few steps back from the two. They heard two pairs of footsteps come closer to them and a familiar voice bickering with a stranger's.

"Lean!" Dao exclaimed when he stepped into view. Lean ran up to her brother and wrapped him in her arms. Zatch's eyes were fixed on the boy. The girl that was with Dao was standing there smiling at the two siblings. Lean walked back beside Zatch and started to look at the boy again. The boy started to smile again and was now fading into the background. This frightened Lean. She didn't want the boy to leave.

"Good bye," he whispered to them as a tear ran down his face. He disappeared, never to be seen again, or so they thought.


End file.
